India maintained its early cultural contacts and trade links with Southeast Asia across the Bay of…

Answer: (c) Monsoon winds across the Bay of Bengal facilitated sea voyages

The seasonal monsoon winds were the natural force that let sailing ships cross the Bay of Bengal. They explain why India and Southeast Asia stayed in contact across the sea. The other options rest on sweeping claims that cannot be established.

• ✓ (c) Monsoon winds reverse their direction with the season. Sailors could therefore cross the Bay of Bengal outward on one wind and return on the opposite one. This is a cause rooted in geography. The ASI's Project Mausam studies how knowledge and use of the monsoon winds shaped interactions across the Indian Ocean.
• ✗ (a) The claim that India had better ship-building technology than other countries is a broad comparison. Nothing establishes it as the reason for Bay of Bengal contacts. Without favourable winds, even good sailing ships could not make the crossing.
• ✗ (b) 'Always patronized' is an absolute claim that cannot be established for every ruler and period. Patronage of priests and monks also bears more on the spread of religion than on what made the sea crossing possible.
• ✗ (d) This option needs both (a) and (b) to be convincing. Neither is, so the combination fails.

Remember · Monsoon winds were the natural enabler of Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal voyages. Be wary of options built on absolutes such as 'always' or sweeping comparisons with other countries.

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2011, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error