2. End of Gupta Empire
When we last looked at India, the Gupta’s controlled
a vast Indian empire. By the 6th century, this empire
collapsed and left India vulnerable to internal
fighting and civil war.
The internal fighting among the Indian states lasted
for several centuries, with no state gaining dominant
power
During this time, Buddhism declined and Islam
grew throughout India
3. Decline of Buddhism
The followers of Buddhism in India eventually
split into two different religious schools: the
Theravada and the Mahayana
The school of Theravada believed they were
following the original teachings of Buddha; they
believed Buddhism was a way of life, not a
religion.
The school of Mahayana thought the Theravada
teachings were too strict for ordinary people.
They viewed Buddhism as more of a religion,
not a way of life. They saw Buddha as a divine
figure; through devotion to Buddha they could
achieve salvation.
4. Decline of Buddhism
Neither Theravada Buddhism nor Mahayana
Buddhism remained popular
By the 7th century, Buddhism was declining rapidly;
Theravada nearly disappeared, while Mahayana was
absorbed into Hinduism and Islam
Buddhism became more popular in China, Korea,
Japan, and Southeast Asia, where it is still practiced
today
5. Islam in Early India
By the 8th century, Islam had spread into India and
was very popular in the northwestern corner of India
Islam had a major impact on Indian civilization and
eventually led to a division in the subcontinent into
Hindu India and two Islamic states, Bangladesh and
Pakistan
Islam arrived in India when India had political
disorder; the region was divided into about 70 states
that fought each other constantly
6. Expansion of Islam
In the 10th century, rebellious Turkish slaves founded
a new Islamic state known as Ghazni, located in
present-day Afghanistan.
In 997, Mahmud of Ghazni, the son of the founder of
Ghazni, began attacking neighboring Hindu
kingdoms. By his death in 1030, he extended his rule
throughout the upper Indus Valley as far as the Indian
Ocean.
Mahmud’s successors fought the Hindu warriors,
called Rajputs, who could not compete with Ghazni’s
cavalry and army.
By 1200, Muslim power reached across the entire plain
of northern India. This Muslim state was known as the
Sultanate of Delhi. By 1400, this state extended into
the Deccan Plateau and ruled nearly all of the Indian
subcontinent.
7. Timur Lenk
By the 14th century, the Sultanate of Delhi was in decline.
A new military force crossed the Indus River from the northwest, raided
Delhi, and then withdrew
Over 100,000 Hindu prisoners were massacred before the gates of the city.
Timur Lenk (Tamarlane) lead this army; he was the ruler of a Mongol
state based in Samarkand to the north in the Pamir Mountains
Timur Lenk seized power in 1369 and immediately began conquering
other regions and expanding his empire
By the 1380s, he controlled the entire region from the Caspian Sea to
Mesopotamia, and large sections of India.
After his death, the Moguls invaded from the north and threatened India
Portugese spice traders also arrived in search of trade goods, gold, and
spices.
8. Islam & Indian Society
The Muslim rulers in India saw themselves as foreign
conquerors and maintained a strict separation between
themselves and the Hindu population
Muslim rulers tried to convert the population to
Islam, but realized there were too many Hindus to
convert them all
Muslim rulers reluctantly tolerated religious
differences, but still had great impact on Hindu society
Hindus behaved like conquered peoples, treating
Muslims with suspicion and dislike
9. Economy
From 500 – 1500, most Indians lived on the land and farmed;
they paid a share of their crops to landlords who sent payments
to the local ruler
There were several large cities in India during this time period,
where many of the landed elites, rich merchants, and other
wealthy Indians lived
Rulers had the most wealth; some kings were called maharaja
(great king), and collected wealth from throughout their states
One major source of wealth was trade; it was the cross point
for the Silk Road, and center of trade for goods between
Southeast Asia and East Asia
Foreign trade remained high throughout this period, in spite of
internal strife
10. Indian Culture: Architecture
From 500 to 1500 religious architecture in
India developed from caves to new,
magnificent structures. From the 8th century
on, Indian architects built monumental
Hindu temples. Each temple consisted of a
central shrine surrounded by a tower, a hall
for worshippers, an entryway, and a porch,
all set in a rectangular courtyard.
The Khajuraho temple is one of the greatest
examples of this type of architecture. Of 80
temples built there in the 10th century, 20
still remain.
11. Southeast Asia
Between China & India lies
the region that today is
called Southeast Asia. It
has two major parts: the
mainland, extending south
from the Chinese border to
the tip of the Malay
Peninsula. The second part
is the archipelago, or chain
of islands, most of which is
part of present-day
Indonesia and the
Philippines.
12. Mainland Southeast Asia
Ancient mariners called the area the “golden region” or
“golden islands.”
Located between India and China, Southeast Asia is a melting
pot of peoples. It contains a vast mixture of races, cultures, and
religions.
There are several mountain ranges in the mainland, along with
several fertile river valleys.
The mountains are densely forested and full of malaria-bearing
mosquitoes, which caused isolation among the river valleys, as
it was difficult to traverse the mountains
These geographical barriers prevented Southeast Asia from
being unified under one government; instead separate, distinct
cultures grew throughout Southeast Asia
13. Formation of States
Between 500 and 1500 a number of organized states
developed throughout Southeast Asia
Each state was influenced by China and India, but
they adapted the models to their own needs and
created several unique states:
Vietnam
Angkor
Thailand
Burma
14. Vietnam
The Vietnamese were conquered by China in 111
BCE; however, the Chinese struggled to control the
Vietnamese who clung fiercely to their own identity
When the Vietnamese threw out the Chinese, they
created a new Vietnamese state called Dai Viet.
They followed the Chinese model of government
They followed Confucianist ideals
The Vietnamese conquered the coastal region of
Southeast Asia and extended from China to the Gulf
of Thailand by 1600
15. Angkor
In the 9th century, the kingdom of Angkor arose in the
region that is present-day Cambodia
Jayavarman united the Khmer people and established a
capital at Angkor Thom. In 802, Jayavarman was crowned
god-king of the people
The Khmer Empire was the most powerful state in
mainland Southeast Asia for several hundred years
When the Thai people arrived from the north in the 14th
century, Angkor began to decline
In 1432, the Thai destroyed the Angkor capital and set up
a new capital near Phnom Penh, the capital of present-day
Cambodia
16. Thailand
The Thai people first appeared in the 6th century as
frontier people in China
They began moving southward in the 11th or 12th
century, as a result of the Mongol invasion of China
The Thai eventually destroyed Angkor and took over
the region
The Thai converted to Buddhism, but also
incorporated some Indian political practices,
melding into a modern-day culture of Thailand
17. Burma
The Burman people were established in the Salween and
Irrawaddy River valleys, where they had migrated from
Tibet in the 7th century
Burmans were pastoral people, but adopted farming soon
after arriving in Southeast Asia
They converted to Buddhism and adopted political
institutions and culture
In the 11th century, they founded the first Burmese
state, the kingdom of Pagan, which was powerful for 200
years
Attacks from the Mongols in the late 13th century
weakened Pagan, causing it to decline
19. Malay Peninsula
Two organized states eventually emerged in the
peninsula: the state of Srivijaya and the kingdom of
Sailendra
Srivijaya dominated the trade route passing through
the Strait of Malacca and depended on trade for their
wealth
Sailendra was based on farming, but heavily
influenced by Indian culture
20. Malay Peninsula
In the 13th century, the kingdom of Majapahit was
founded
Majapahit incorporated most of the archipelago and parts
of the mainland under single rule
Majapahit only lasted 200 years, until the Muslim
conquest of India caused Muslim merchants to settle in
port cities and convert the local population
Around 1400, an Islamic state began to form in
Melaka, which became a major trading point in the
region
Almost the entire population of the region was converted
to Islam and became part of the Sultanate of Melaka
21. Economics
Two groups lived in Southeast Asia: agricultural
societies and trading societies
Trade in Southeast Asia expanded after the
emergence of states in the area reached their greatest
heights under Muslim control
Demand for products from East Asia grew in
Europe, increasing trade opportunities throughout
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia exported: cloves, pepper, nutmeg,
cinnamon, teak, sandalwood and rice
22. Social Structures
Aristocrats were the top of the social ladder in most
Southeast Asian societies
Held political power
Held economic wealth
Most of the population were farmers, fishers, artisans,
and merchants
Rice farmers tended to live at lowest level, paying heavy
rent or taxes to lords or local rulers
Women enjoyed greater rights in Southeast Asian than in
other parts of Asia, often finding equality with men
23. Culture & Religion
Chinese culture was the regions strongest influence
Architecture throughout Cambodia, Malay
Peninsula and Archipelago show Chinese-style
temples and buildings
Hindu and Buddhist ideas had early
prominence, arriving in the first century CE
Theravada Buddhism became the religion of choice for
most of Southeast Asia until the arrival of Islam
