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India's Influence on South-East Asia
- 1. INDIAN HERITAGE ANDCULTURE – HUM 1023 ANCIENT INDIA’S INFLUENCE ON SOUTH EAST ASIA GROUP MEMBERS BHARAT JOGI – 15BME0861 D. SATYA SAI KRISHNA -15BME0348
- 2. “The salient featureof India’s cultural expansion was that, it was carried by the Indians not by military force, but by persuasion and individual instances of devotion to deeds, not by arms but by missionaries, this is a true character of India’s cultural expansion. The Hindu culture in all its aspects permeated the life of the people of South East Asia and elevated them spiritually.”
- 3. INDIANIZED ASPECTS OFSOUTH-EAST ASIA Architecture Religion Art Culture Society Literature Maritime Activities Trade Cuisine Language “Indianized” aspects of South East Asia
- 4. INTRODUCTION Southeast Asia wasunder Indian influence starting around 200 BC until around the 15th century, when Hindu-Buddhist influence was absorbed by local politics. Kingdoms in the south east coast of the Indian Subcontinent had established trade, cultural and political relations with Southeast Asian kingdoms in Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, Malay Peninsula, Cambodia and, to a lesser extent, Vietnam. Southern Indian traders, adventurers, teachers and priests continued to be the dominating influence in Southeast Asia until about 1500 CE. Hinduism and Buddhism both spread to these states from India and for many centuries existed there with mutual toleration. Eventually the states of the mainland became mainly Buddhist.
- 5. ARCHITECTURE It is anarchitectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged in the southern part of the Indian subcontinent or South India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century. It consists primarily of Hindu temples where the dominating feature is the high gopura or gatehouse; large temples have several. Mentioned as one of three styles of temple building in the ancient book Vastu Shastra. Various kingdoms and empires such as the Cholas, the Chera, the Kakatiyas, the Pandyas, the Pallavas, the Gangas, the Rashtrakutas, the Chalukyas, the Hoysalas, and Vijayanagara Empire among others have made substantial contribution to the evolution of Dravidian architecture. This style of architecture can also be found in parts of North India (Teli ka Mandir Gwalior, Bhitargaon Baitala Deula, Bhubaneshwar), Northeastern and central Sri Lanka.
- 6. ANGOKAR WAT -CAMBODIA Angor Wat is a Hindu temple build by Suryavarman in dedication of Lord Vishnu. Angkor Wat is a master piece in Hindu architecture (Khmer architecture was melded with the Dravidian architecture) of southern India. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple- mountain and the later galleried temple. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas- reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls. This temple clearly resembles the south indian architecture of temple building.
- 8. PRAMBANAN TEMPLE –JAVA, INDONESIA Prambanan temple architecture has mix of both Buddhism and Dravidian architecture. We can see in the temple lord Shiva’s idol was sculptured in a large lotus flower. Rakai Pikatan from Sanjaya Dynasty built the Temple to worship lord Shiva. It is a 9th-century Hindutemple compound in Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimurti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Transformer (Shiva).The temple compound, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia, and one of the biggest in Southeast Asia. It is characterized by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu architecture, and by the towering 47-metre- high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.
- 10. RELIGION Hinduism and Buddhismexerted an enormous influence on the civilizations of Southeast Asia and contributed greatly to the development of a written tradition in that area. About the beginning of the Common Era, Indian merchants may have settled there, bringing Brahmans and Buddhist monks with them. These religious men were patronized by rulers who converted to Hinduism or Buddhism. The earliest material evidence of Hinduism in Southeast Asia comes from Borneo, where late 4th- century Sanskrit inscriptions testify to the performance of Vedic sacrifices by Brahmans at the behest of local chiefs. Chinese chronicles attest an Indianized kingdom in Vietnam two centuries earlier. The dominant form of Hinduism exported to Southeast Asia was Shaivism, though some Vaishnavism was also known there. Later, from the 9th century onward, Tantrism, both Hindu and Buddhist, spread throughout the region.
- 12. ROLE OF MISSIONARIES Theprocess of Indian cultural expansion in South East Asia received further impetus from the missionary activities of the Buddhist and Hindu monks. Accompanying the mercantile class in their maritime activities, these monks and saints took a leading role in spreading the message of Indian thought and culture in those far-off regions. Since they had absolutely no political ambitions, with their superior cultural background they began to influence the native people by setting up ashrams and hermitages. The local people too, on their part, gave a warm response to the process of cultural interaction. The Buddhist missionaries also played an active part in this process of cultural synthesis. It was right from the days of Emperor Ashoka that Buddhist bhikshyus lika Sona and Uttara came to Myanmar (Burma) on missionary assignment. Some of the Buddhist monks also accompanied the traders. They spread the Buddhist message of non-violence and thus became the torch- bearers of Indian cultural heritage. The people of the region accepted the cultural change with open heart as it was devoid of any proselytizing zeal or political ambition.
- 14. ART The communities andcultures of Southeast Asia were in direct contact with India through trade routes and were heavily influenced by Indian religion and art. The Pali and Sanskrit languages, Indian script, and Hindu epic literature such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were transmitted to Southeast Asia during this period. Between the 1st and 8th centuries CE, several Indic kingdoms competed for dominance in Southeast Asia, particularly the Cambodian Funan and the Burmese Mon. Most of the Southeast Asian sculpture of the period 300–600 CE was heavily influenced by the style of the Gupta Empire in India, which patronized Buddhist art in the Greco–Buddhist style. Buddhist art in Thailand was shaped both by direct contact with Indian traders and the expansion of the Mon kingdom. In later periods, Chinese influences predominated in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and more wooden sculpture survives from across the region.
- 16. CULTURE The cultural expansionof the Indians found a very conducive field in the region of South East Asia. Behind this cultural expansion undoubtedly remains the maritime as well as colonial activity of the Indians. The region was a land of attraction for spices, minerals and metals for which it had been frequently referred to as Suvarnabhumi or Suvarnadweepa in Jataka stories, Brihatkatha and Katha Sarit Sugar. Foreign literary sources like Periplus of the Erythrean Sea also refer to the voyages of Indian merchants across the seas for maritime activities. From 3rd and 4th centuries A.D. there developed powerful kingdoms and empires under kings bearing Indian names and having Indian descent. References may be made to the kingdom of Dwaravali in Siam (modern Thailand), King Jayavarma II of Kamboja (modern Cambodia), Saiva kingdom of Champa (modern Indo-China), Sailendra dynasty of Indonesia (ancient Java, Sumatra and Borneo) and Hindu kingdom of Bali which clearly point at the political hegemony of the Hindus in South East Asian countries.
- 17. “It is quitepeculiar to note in this connection that when the Hindu kings and subjects in India had already lost their political freedom in their own country, Hindu sovereigns ruling over these South Eastern tracts of Asia continued to reign with glory and splendour. From Indo- China to Malay Archipelago, from Sumatra to New Guinea and even in the Philippine islands in the Pacific region, Hindu hegemony continued to grow.”
- 18. SOCIETY The cultural hegemonyof the Indians over South east a siam region can be better understood if we take into account their society and social features. The Varna system of Vedic Indian society was introduced in most of these areas. South East Asian literature makes reference to the Chaturvarna (four Varna’s) with specific mention of Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras. But this caste system was accepted by the local people with less rigidity. The system of inter-caste marriage and dinner was widely prevalent. In the sphere of amusement and entertainment too one finds the shadow of Indian cultural heritage. A typical play called Wayung (like Indian puppet show) is acted on popular themes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. At present most of the S.E. Asian countries have embraced Islam, but the Wayung show still retains its popularity
- 20. LITERATURE When the SouthEast Asian society and religion were under the cultural domination of India, local literatures were also affected by Indian influence. The study of Indian religious literature not only influenced the religious habits of the people but also affected their linguistic tradition. The medium of literature and inscription was both in Sanskrit and Pali languages. These two languages were highly cultivated by the people of the region and were used both in royal courts and in social life. Several Sanskrit inscriptions of exceptional merit have been discovered in the Malay peninsula, Java, Kamboja and Champa. The people of the region introduced geographical names associated with Indian origin. Mention may be made of Champa, Kamboja, Ayuthia (Ayodhya), Dvaravati, Amravati and the names of rivers like Gomti, Ganga, Yamuna etc. bear resemblance with Indian names and tradition. They still call their schools, libraries and other public places by their original Sanskrit names.
- 21. MARITIME ACTIVITIES Maritime activitiesof the Indians are not a new phenomenon. Right from the third millennium B.C., India had developed commercial contact with the outside world. For example, some material remains of the Harappan culture have been found at sites of Mesopotamian Civilization. Being prompted by geographical as well as economic factors, the Indian merchants undertook innumerable sea voyages to different parts of the world in ancient times. India not only served as a link between the East and the West but also gave a new impetus to the maritime urge of the people of the country. Commerce offered excellent economic opportunities and thereby a successful maritime trade developed. Coming to the context of South East Asia, it was a region of special attraction for the Indian mercantile class. The fertile soil and abundant wealth of the area had earned the region titles like Suvarnabhumi or the Land of Gold, Tokkola or the Land of Cardamom, Narikeldweep or the Island of Coconuts etc.
- 22. MARITIME ACTIVITES The Indianmerchants followed two routes. One was through Bengal, Assam, Manipur and Burma to reach different parts of S.E. Asia. The other was the sea route mainly from the Coromandel Coast or the coast of Bay of Bengal from the river Ganga to the mouth of Cape Comorin. Literary sources also confirm the existence of a number of ancient ports among which Tamralipti or modern Tamluk in Midnapore (West Bengal), Palur or Patura in Ganjam (Orissa) and Machhlipatnam (Andhra Pradesh) were more important. The Chinese pilgrims Fa-Hien, I-Tsing and Huen-Tsang have also made vivid references to the above- mentioned Indian ports and bustling maritime activities associated with them.
- 23. SEA ROUTES FROMINDIA TO SOUTH EAST ASIA
- 24. CUISINE Curry is astaple in the region, Thailand’s gang keo warn, Cambodia’s fish amok and Malaysia’s Penang curry. Curry, however, is not endemic to Southeast Asia. The word itself comes from the Tamil kari and its export east is evident not only in the mass consumption of curries. In Indonesian and Malay, curry is also kari and Sumatran cuisine in particular features Indian style curry. In Thai, many curries go by the name gaeng but gaeng gari refers specifically to South Indian style yellow curry while in Cambodia, the kroeung curry makes up the base flavor for a number of commonly consumed dishes. Kroeung -like curry has existed for over a millennium in what is now Cambodia.
- 26. LANGUAGE The Pallava’s greatestinfluence is arguably their script. The Pallava script, first used in the 6th century, was one of a number of widely-used Brahmic scripts whose descendants are now found throughout the subcontinent. There are three older scripts that are direct descendants of Pallava that in turn gave rise to other, later writing systems – Khmer, Mon, and Kawi. A fourth, the script used by the Chams who once ruled much of coastal Vietnam, also descends from Pallava. The Khmer were the first to adopt the South Indian script. The kings of Angkor also adopted the suffix varman (i.e. Suryavarman II, Jayavarman VII), a name that was popular with the Pallava royals and traced their lineage to a wandering Pallava prince. As their empire expanded to swallow large swaths of peninsular Southeast Asia, their writing system also grew in influence. Today, the modern Khmer script, the Thai script and the Lao script are all prominent derivatives of the writing system used at Angkor.
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- 29. CONCLUSION As the Europeancolonialists called the region as Indo-China, the present day South East Asia has been influenced by two of the oldest civilisation of the world (Indian & Chinese). The Indian influence is much older than the Chinese, many historic events show to growth and prosperity of Indian influence in South East Asia. The first evidence of Indianization has been found from 200 B.C. The Indians first reached the region through land (Myanmar-Cambodia-Indonesia) and then through the sea. The present day South East Asia is a majority of Muslim population, but their culture and tradition is very similar to modern Hinduism, The Indianization has broadly impacted the religion, culture, society, literature, art-architecture and cuisine of the South East Asia.
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