ABSTRACT
As Islam spread into Asia, it encountered cultural formations that had not been present in the regions where it originated. The most widespread and influential of these formations was the vast ecumene of social, political, and religious imaginaires inspired by Sanskrit textual practices. As Muslim communities in southern Asia expanded, many Asian Muslims came to express themselves in the familiar terms and imaginaires of the Sanskrit Cosmopolis and its associated vernacular cultures. This article provides an overview of this phenomenon, identifying common patterns in the adaptation of Sanskritic discourse to Islam, and developing a theoretical approach to Sanskritic Islamic traditions.
