Analyzed key aspects that have been Indianised in the region of south-east Asia in Ancient Period

1. INDIAN HERITAGE AND CULTURE – HUM 1023
ANCIENT INDIA’S INFLUENCE ON SOUTH EAST ASIA
GROUP MEMBERS
BHARAT JOGI – 15BME0861
D. SATYA SAI KRISHNA -15BME0348

2. “The salient feature of 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 OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA
Architecture
Religion
Art
Culture
Society
Literature
Maritime Activities
Trade
Cuisine
Language
“Indianized”
aspects of
South East Asia

4. INTRODUCTION
Southeast Asia was under 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 an architectural 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 Buddhism exerted 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
The process 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 and cultures 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 expansion of 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 quite peculiar 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 hegemony of 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 South East 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 activities of 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 Indian merchants 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 FROM INDIA TO SOUTH EAST
ASIA

24. CUISINE
Curry is a staple 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 greatest influence 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.

27. Khmer script
Kawi script

28. Modern Day Examples

29. CONCLUSION
As the European colonialists 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.

30. Thank