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Aracan : the ancient kingdom was visited by merchants from southern India long before Alexandrian geographer Ptolemy arrived in 1st century CE & named it ‘Argyre’, the land of silver. Chinese Buddhist pilgrims of 7th century knew it & the area of east Bengal within its cultural sphere as A-li-ki-lo or Harikela. Burmese inscriptions of Pagan & Ava from the 12th to 15th centuries refer to it as ‘Rakhaing’, Tibetan historians ‘Rakhan’, & Sri Lankan chronicles ‘Rakhanga’. 15th century Portuguese explorers-traders-raiders called it ‘Rachani’ & ‘Arākān’, & were followed in this by the later Dutch, since the English preferred ‘Arākān’ that became the sole authorised name. Arākān’s heartland was in its north, based on the rich alluvial flood plains of the adjoining Kaladan & Lemro valleys. The earliest cities were in the Kaladan valley, backed by hills & facing west, & were thus open to influence from India & beyond. Subsequently cities were founded west of the Lemro River, more accessible to Myanmar proper.... For much of its turbulent history, Arākān played a pivotal role in the exchange of cultures & religions between India & Southeast Asia. From the early centuries Arākān was ruled by kings who adopted Hindu titles & traditions to suit their own environment. Brahmins conducted the royal ceremonial, Buddhist monks spread their teachings, traders came & went & artists & architects used Hindu models for inspiration. In the later period, Islamic courts of Bengal & Delhi imposed their influence. As an important centre for trade & as a goal of Buddhist pilgrims it was also the recipient of influence from other cultural centres in Southeast Asia. But the peoples of Arākān, like their counterparts elsewhere in the region, also followed older traditions connected with their land & the spirits which guarded it. Many of these still survive in fertility & spirit cults, or have been absorbed into the Buddhist Pantheon. In 1784 Arākān was conquered by Burma. This territorial expansion so near Bengal, was one of the excuses used by the Octopus to invade Burma in 1824 & two years later Arākān was among the territories ceded to it.