Merchants of Southern India formed Trade Guilds in order to organise and expand their trading activities. Trade guilds became channels through which Indian culture got exported to other lands. From the 11th century to the 13th century, South-Indian trade in Southeast-Asia was dominated by the Cholas; and it replaced the Pallava influence of the previous centuries.
Before the rise of the Cholas, inscriptions from Java, Indonesia mention only the Kalingas as foreign visitors from the eastern coast of India. In 1021 AD an inscription added Dravidas to the list of maritime powers, and they were then replaced by the Colikas (Cholas), in the year 1053 AD.[2]
