Specifically, in the prologue to the Wife of Bath's Tale in The Canterbury Tales she says "Bet is to be wedded than to brinne", translated to Modern English as "Better to be wedded than to burn" after talking about remarrying as a widow. Is there any possibility this is a reference to the ancient practice of Hindu widows jumping into their husband's funeral pyre? I'd also love to know more generally about these cultures' early interactions as well, as the title says. Sorry if this is a dumb question, and thanks for any response!
I'm afraid I don't know much about the influence of Hinduism on medieval culture, but I do know Chancer. This is a reference to 1 Corinthians 7 and I've generally seen it read as meaning it's better to marry again than to burn with unquenched desire.
I've never seen any mention of Chancer being associated with Hinduism, so I highly doubt this was in his mind, especially as he lifted the line practically straight from the Bible.
If you're interested in contemporary sources, have a look at the Travels of John Mandeville. A lot of it is fantastical, but it's not a bad indication of 14th century literary opinion of the near East.