How was Burma (now Myanmar) known to ancient Indians?
(A) Malayamandalam
(B) Yavadwipa
(C) Suvarnabhumi
(D) Suvarnadwipa
Answer: (C) Suvarnabhumi is a Sanskrit term meaning the “Golden Land” or “Land of Gold,” coined by the ancient Indians, which refers broadly to the Southeast Asian region across the Gulf of Bengal and Eastern Indian Ocean; Lower Burma, Lower Thailand, Lower Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra. Although it seems to cover a vast region in Southeast Asia, it is generally accepted that the name Suvarnabhumi was first used to refer more specifically to Lower Burma. Another term that was used by the ancient Indians is Suvarnadvipa which means the “Golden Peninsula/Island”. Suvarnabhumi mi may have been used primarily as a vague general designation of an extensive region in Southeast Asia, but, over time, different parts of it came to be designated by the additional epithets of island, peninsula, or city.
