Editing History of India (section)

==== Trade and travels to India ====
{{Further|Silk Road transmission of Buddhism}}
[[File:Silk route copy.jpg|thumb|right|[[Silk Road]] and [[Spice trade]], ancient trade routes that linked India with the [[Old World]]; carried goods and ideas between the ancient civilisations of the Old World and India. The land routes are marked as red, and the water routes are marked as blue.]]
The [[spice trade]] in [[Kerala]] attracted traders from all over the Old World to India. India's Southwest coastal port [[Muziris]] had established itself as a major spice trade centre from as early as 3,000&nbsp;BCE, according to [[Sumer|Sumerian records]]. [[Jewish]] traders arrived in [[Kochi]], [[Kerala, India]] as early as 562 BCE.<ref>{{cite book|last=Schreiber|first=Mordecai|title=The Shengold Jewish Encyclopedia|year=2003|publisher=Schreiber Publishing|location=Rockville, MD|isbn=978-1-887563-77-2|page=125}}</ref> The [[Greco-Roman world]] followed by trading along the [[incense route]] and the [[Indo-Roman trade relations|Roman-India routes]].{{sfn|Law|1978|p=164}} During the 2nd century BCE Greek and Indian ships met to trade at [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabian]] ports such as [[Aden]].<ref>[http://www.unesco.org/csi/pub/source/alex5.htm ''Greatest emporium in the world''], CSI, UNESCO.</ref> During the first millennium, the sea routes to India were controlled by the Indians and [[Ethiopian]]s that became the maritime trading power of the [[Red Sea]].

Indian merchants involved in spice trade took [[Indian cuisine]] to Southeast Asia, where spice mixtures and [[curry|curries]] became popular with the native inhabitants.{{sfn|Collingham|2006|p=245}} Buddhism entered China through the [[Silk Road transmission of Buddhism|Silk Road]] in the 1st or 2nd century CE.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZLFXAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA506|title=The Medical Times and Gazette, Volume 1|year=1867|publisher=John Churchill|location=London|page=506}}</ref> Hindu and Buddhist religious establishments of South and Southeast Asia came to be centres of production and commerce as they accumulated capital donated by patrons. They engaged in estate management, craftsmanship, and trade. Buddhism in particular travelled alongside the maritime trade, promoting literacy, art, and the use of coinage.{{sfn|Donkin|2003|pp=67, 60–70}}