In this video Heimler takes you through the process of state building and culture making in India (which is to say, South Asia) and South East Asia.
In India, Hinduism was the dominant cultural glue, and the Muslims who ruled in the north had a very difficult time spreading the faith to the southern parts of India. When they finally sent two brothers south to determine their prospects for extension, they went ahead and converted back to Hinduism and established the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagara.
In South East Asia, sea routes for trading were key to the rise of empires. A key example of a sea based empire is the Majapahit Empire on the island of Java.
