By: Darby Shepard
Indianized States
Important Indianized States
Funan
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Srivijaya
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Angkor
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Singosari
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Majaphit
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Melaka
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- Indian influence on the southeast was so strong that historians still talk about it today
- Southeast Asian people altered Indian political structures and religions to see their local needs and interests.
- Indian armed forces rarely entered the region, yet the land reflects the influence of Indian society
- Merchants introduced Hinduism, Buddhism, Sanskrit writings, and Indian forms of political organization
- Islam found its way to southeast Asia by Muslim merchants who established trading communities in the port cities
- Islam gained importance and became permanent in much of southeast Asia
- Indian merchants' presence brought opportunities for the native ruling elites of the region
- Indian merchants traded textiles, beads, gold, silver, manufactured metal goods, and objects used in political or religious rituals, in exchange for spices, pearls, aromatics, and animal skins
- Southeast Asian rulers used money from trade to strengthen their political control
- Southeast Asian ruling elites got to know Indian political and cultural traditions
- They held onto their own traditions, but still borrow Indian forms of political organization and religion
- They adopted kingship as the principal form of political authority.
- Regional kings would surround themselves with court that had administrators and rituals like India
- Ruling elites also sponsored the introduction of Hinduism and Buddhism into courts
- They also embraced Indian literature, like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata which promotes Hindu values as well as explaining Buddhist views on the world
- They didn’t show interest in the Indian caste system and continued to recognize the deities and nature spirits that southeast Asian peoples had honored for years
- Ruling elites happily accepted Hinduism/Buddhism because they reassured the monarchical rule
- Funan was the first place to become Indianized
- Funan dominated the lower reaches of the Mekong River
- Rulers of Funan strengthened their grip on the valley and built a capital city at the port of Oc Eo
- Funan got wealth because it was in charge of Isthmus of Kra where merchants transported trade goods between China and India
- They used wealth to construct irrigation that was extremely extensive and helped a productive agricultural economy
- Trade with India became more crucial
- People of Funan began to adopt India’s political, cultural, and religious traditions
- They used the term raja “king” to claim sanction for their rule in the manner of Hindu rulers in India
- They established positions for administrators and bureaucrats such as those found at Indian courts. They conducted business in Sanskrit
- They introduced Indian ceremonies and rituals and worshiped Vishnu, Shiva, and other Hindu dieties, while remaining true to their original religions
- At first Indian culture was mainly seen within the ruling elites, but later it expanded
- 6th century, Funan began to struggle internally, and others took advantage of that
- People from the north migrated down, overwhelming Funan
- After Funan fell, political leadership passed to the kingdom of Srivijaya
- Srivijayan kings had a powerful navy and controlled trade over the waters
- Funded their navy from taxes on ships
- They had an all sea-route between China and India
- As Srivijaya declined the kingdoms of Angkor, Singosari, and Majapahit dominated affairs in southeast Asia
- Sculptures at Singosari showed Buddhist and Hindu personalities, but used them to honor indigenous deities instead of Indian deities
- Monuments of Angkor represent Indian influence on traditions well
- Kings of Khmers began to build a capital at Angkor Thom
- With help from the Brahmin advisors from India, the kings made a city that was a reflection of the Hindu world order
- They built a temple that represented the Himalayan Mount Meru, the sacred home of Shiva, and surrounded it with small temples that represented part of the Hindu world
- Later the Khmers added Buddhism
- Khmers left after invasion from Thai people
- Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat were forgotten after that
- Rescued by French missionaries, Angkor Wat servers as a reminder of Indian political, cultural, and religious traditions in southeast Asia
- Muslim merchants were in southeast Asia for a while but did not become important until later
- Most Muslim merchants were Indians from Gujarat or the port cities of southern India
- Indian influence established Islam in addition to Hinduism and Buddhism to southeast Asia
- For a while Islam was quiet and did not receive much attention
- There was little interest from native inhabitants
- Over time, ruling elites, traders, and others who dealt with Muslims became interested in the religion
- Venetian traveler, Marco Polo, visited the island of Sumatra and noticed many people in the city converted to Islam, whereas in the countryside they kept inherited traditions
- Islam didn’t enter southeast Asia exclusively
- Converted ruling elites continued to practice Hindu, Buddhist, and native traditions but applied Islam beliefs
- Ruling elites took Islam and converted it to a faith that aids dealings with foreign Muslims and provided additional divine sanction for their rule
- Ruling elite did not push subjects to convert to Islam, but allowed Sufis to preach
- The public liked Sufis because of their reputation for sincerity and holiness
- Sufis allowed converts to retain their traditions and apply Islamic beliefs into their lives
- Melaka was founded by Paramesvara, a rebellious prince
- Melaka was in a good location because they were on the Strait of Melaka, so they became actively involved in trade
- The had a good navy that protected waters of southeast Asia as well as sea-lanes
- Ruling authorities levied taxes on the value of their cargoes
- Similar to other Indianized states, Melaka became a powerful state through the control of maritime trade
- Islam gained significance because the powerful state of Melaka supported it
- Melaka started as Hindu, but became Islamic
- The ruling class had converted to Islam
- Islam was then strongly supported and campaigned by Melaka
- Because of this mosques began to appear on Java, Sumatra, and the Malay peninsula.
- Islam began to appear in the spice-bearing islands of Maluku and the Philippine archipelago
- Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam helped link southeast Asian lands to the cultural world of India and to the commercial world of the Indian Ocean basin
College Board Themes
- Interactions Between Humans and the Environment - the use of waterways to trade and as a way of attack was something that was used by India and then later by the Indianized states. The amount that they used waterways differed between the regions within southeast Asia. They also used natural resources to further agriculture and develop new technologies.
- Development and Interactions of Cultures - India's culture and religious beliefs spread to the regions within southeast Asia. Regions would take Indian cultural ideas and alter them to suit their particular needs. They did the same with religious beliefs, taking Hinduism/Buddhism/Islam and altering it slightly to make it more popular among the people. Not only this, they also built things and set up courts similar to that of India. Though they took many ideas from India, they always changed it so that it would still represent them and their culture.
- Creation, Expansion & Interaction of Economic Systems - The Indianized states varied in what they focused on. For example, Srivijaya, Singosari, and Majaphit were island-based that did well because of their trade by sea. Funan and Angkor were land-based states that focused on agricultural production.