India-ASEAN Partnership has gained momentum over the last two and a half decades. Even though economic and strategic cooperation holds the key to this robust strategic partnership, it is cultural diplomacy that lays the cornerstone by building trust and understanding. The historical relations between India and its South East Asian neighbourhood go as far back as 2000 years mainly being anchored by maritime trade and commerce, expansion of areas like Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam, architectural similarity, archaeological remains such as Buddhist stupas, monuments, temples, and sculptures, etc. Therefore, the diverse nature of the age-old maritime connection provides the foundation of this strong partnership. The primary agent of this relationship in the early years were the small groups of heterogeneous fishing and sailing communities with distinct languages, cultures, norms, and histories. This paper has sought to examine the role of cultural and civilizational dynamics in the development of India’s relations with Southeast Asian nations.