SUMATRA 
205 
of Hinduism into Sumatra, or to discover how far and to 
what extent it became adopted. The temple-remains, 
though found more or less all over the island, are very 
scattered, and nowhere do they approach in importance 
those of Java. At Kuta-bangan, in the Dili district, 
there is a stone temple about 60 feet square, having 
the figures of men and animals sculptured upon its walls, 
and various inscribed stones have been found in the 
neighbourhood. That the cult of Siva existed in the 
Jambi valley is evident from the statues of the bull Nandi, 
the vehicle of Mahadewa, and the elephant-headed god 
Ganesa discovered there. The images are carved out of 
granite, and were therefore probably made in the high¬ 
lands of the interior. At Muara Takus, on the Kampar 
river, are other Hindu ruins of importance, and the 
Menangkabo district has perhaps afforded more examples 
than any other part of the island. The Hindu influence 
doubtless came as much from the south as from the north, 
with the stream of Javanese immigration which has more 
than once been alluded to. Of how long it lasted we have 
not much more knowledge than we have of its establish¬ 
ment. About the thirteenth century Islamism began to 
gain a footing, and is now the accepted religion of almost 
all the civilised and semi-civilised tribes. Over a vast 
area, however, pure paganism exists, and Christianity, both 
here and among the Mohammedans, has met with little 
or no success. 
9. Products, Trade, and Agriculture. 
While Java may be regarded as the garden of the 
Netherlands India, where, under the “ culture system,” 
almost every tropical product has the benefit of the most 
