THE SPREAD OF INDIAN CULTURE IN OTHERASIAN COUNTRIES

bwf4india Facebook Group: Indian Administrative Service ( Raz Kr) RazKr [Live] – https://telegram.me/RazKrLive155Sanskrit texts and Buddhist monasteries were found in these places.Indian cultural influence continued in this region till eighth century.Indian culture had also spread to Tibet and China through CentralAsia.India and ChinaChina was influenced both by land route passing throughCentral Asia and the sea route through Burma. Buddhism reachedChina in the beginning of the first century A.D. A number of Chinesepilgrims like Fahien and Hiuen Tsang visited India. On the otherside, hundreds of Buddhist monks like Gunabhadra, Vajrabothi,Dharmadeva and Dharmagupta visited China. Indian scholarstranslated many Sanskrit works at the request of Chinese emperors.This contact with China continued even in the thirteenth centurywhen the Mongols established their empire in China. Chinese arthad also been influenced by Indian art.India and TibetTibet was influenced by India from the seventh century. Thefamous Buddhist king Gampo founded the city of Lhasa andintroduced Buddhism. The Tibetan alphabet was devised with thehelp of Indian scholars. Later, the Indian scholars helped for theestablishment of Lamaism in Tibet. In the eleventh century the Paladynasty of Bengal had close contacts with Tibet. When Bengal wasattacked by the Muslim rulers, many Buddhistmonks sought shelter in Tibet.India and Sri LankaDespite having different political history,Sri Lanka experienced a great cultural influencefrom India. Buddhist missionaries had spreadnot only the religious faith but also culturaltraditions. The art of stone carving went to Sri SIGIRIYA PAINTINGwww.facebook.com/groups/abwf4india Facebook Group: Indian Administrative Service ( Raz Kr) RazKr [Live] – https://telegram.me/RazKrLive156Lanka from India. In the fifth century, Buddha Ghosha visited SriLanka and consolidated there the Hinayana Buddhism. The famouspaintings of Sigiriya were modeled on the Ajantha paintings.Indian Culture in South East AsiaIndian culture had extended its mighty influence in the SouthEast Asian region consisting of the Malay Archipelago and IndoChina. They are located across the Bay of Bengal. Being fertile andrich in minerals, these lands attracted the attention of the Indians.Moreover, the east coast of India is studded with numerous portsand Indians undertook frequent voyages to these lands. The ancienttraditions refer to traders’ voyages to Suvarnabhumi, (the land ofgold) a name generally given to all the countries of the East Asia.Indians began to colonize the East Asia in the Gupta period. It wasfurther encouraged by the Pallavas. The Indian colonists establishedgreat kingdoms and some of them lasted for more than a thousandyears. A number of dynasties with Indian names ruled in variousparts. Till the arrival of Islam in the fifteenth century, Indian culturedominated this region.Cambodia (Kambhoja)Cambodia was colonised by Indians in the first century A.D.They influenced thenative people called theKhemers. The rulingdynasty was known asKambojas and theircountry was Kambojaor modern Cambodia.

Vaishnavism made steady progress. The Kamboja empire at its
greatest extent included Laos, Siam, part of Burma and the Malay
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peninsula. Numerous Sanskrit inscriptions give us a detailed history
of its kings. A number of Hindu literary works like the Vedas, the
Ramayana, the Mahabharata, Panini’s grammar, Hindu
philosophical treatises were all known to the people of Cambodia.
Like the Pallava kings, they were called Varmans. Yasovarman
and Suryavarman II were two well-known rulers. Temples were
built in South Indian style. There are plenty of Sanskrit inscriptions.
The most famous of these temples was the temple (wat) of Vishnu
built by Suryavarman II in his capital city Angkor. It was popularly
called as the Angkorwat Temple. It is standing on top of a terraced
structure. Each terrace is a sort of a covered gallery which contains
numerous relief sculptures. The temple is constructed on the
Dravidian style and the sculptures depict episodes from the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The Kambhoja kingdom declined
only in fifteenth century.
Champa
Champa or South Annam is situated to the east of Cambodia.
The first Hindu dynasty was established by Sri Mara in the second
century A.D. A number of Sanskrit inscriptions throw light on the
history of Champa. Twelve Indian dynasties ruled over Champa
and by the thirteenth century Champa was annexed to Cambodia.
Under its Hindu rulers the Hindu religion and culture, customs and
manners were introduced in Champa. Saivism and Vaishnavism
flourished. Buddhism also existed side by side. Various works on
Hindu philosophy, grammar, fine arts and astrology were written.
Siam or Thailand
There were several states in Siam following Indian culture.
Thai script was developed with the help of Indian scholars. The
traditional laws of that country were composed on the model of
Dharmasastras. The temples at Bangkok contain many sculptures
depicting the Ramayana.
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Sumatra and Java
The Malay Archipelago had remained an important link
between India and the Far East. Several Hindu kingdoms existed
here between fifth to fifteenth centuries A.D. The most important
Hindu kingdom in the big island of Sumatra was Sri Vijaya. It was a
great centre of trade and culture in the seventh century. Subsequently,
the Sri Vijaya kingdom developed into a powerful maritime and
commercial power known as the Sailendra empire extending its sway
over the neighbouring islands of Java, Bali, Borneo and over Cambodia. The Sailendra rulers were Mahayana Buddhists and
maintained cordial relations with the Indian kingdoms of the Palas
of Bengal and the Cholas of Tamil Nadu. Rajaraja Chola allowed
the Sailendra king Maravijayottungavarman to build a Buddhist
monastery at Nagapattinam. His son Rajendra conquered the
Sailendra kingdom for sometime. Later they became independent.
The Sailendra empire continued intact till the eleventh century A.D.
A Hindu kingdom was established in Java as early as the fourth
century A.D. In Central Java arose the kingdom of Mataram which
became a strong centre of Hindu religion and culture. It was
conquered by the Sailendras of Sumatra. Till the ninth century Java
continued to be a part of the Sailendra empire. Later it regained its
independence. Java attained greatness and splendour in art under
Sailendra rule.
The greatest monument of IndoJava art is the Borobudur which was
built during A.D. 750-850 under the
patronage of the Sailendras. It is
situated on the top of a hill. It consists
of nine successive terraces, crowned
by a bell-shaped stupa at the centre of
the topmost terrace. The open galleries in the terraces contain 2000
BOROBUDUR
MONUMENT
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bas-reliefs (small carved stone figures) illustrating various incidents
in the life of the Buddha. The lower parts are rich in decoration
while the upper portions are plain and unadorned. Borobudur is
described as an epic in stone, the most wonderful Buddhist stupa in
the world.
In the twelfth century, eastern Java with Kadiri as its capital
developed into the leading kingdom of Java. In the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries which marked the golden age of Javanese
culture, Majapahit became the capital of the far-flung Javanese
empire which included the neighbouring islands. Indian art and
literature flourished in Java to an extent unknown elsewhere. Still,
ruins of hundreds of temples and manuscripts based on the Sanskrit
language are found in Java. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata
were popular and even today furnish the theme for their popular
shadow-play. The fall of Majapahit brought to an end all artistic
activity in Java.
Bali
Bali came under the rule of Hindu dynasties as early as the
sixth century. I-Tsing refers to the prevalence of Buddhism there in
the seventh century. The stone and copper plate inscriptions from
that island show that it was colonised directly from India. Later it
became subordinate to Java. Its people continue to be Hindus and
even today we find the prevalence of the caste system there.
Myanmar
The cultural contacts between India and Burma (now
Myanmar) dates back to the period of Asoka, who sent his
missionaries there to preach Buddhism. Many Hindu kingdoms
existed in Burma. Pali and Sanskrit were the languages of Burma till
thirteenth century. Both Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism were
followed by the Burmese.
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Thus for nearly fifteen hundred years Hindu kings were ruling
over numerous islands of the Malay Archipelago and over the IndoChina peninsula. Indian religions and Indian culture moulded the
lives of the primitive inhabitants of these regions who were elevated
to a higher plan of civilization.
Learning Outcome
After learning this lesson the students will be able to explain
1. India’s influence over Central Asia.
2. Cultural contacts between India and China.
3. India and Sri Lanka through the ages.
4. Spread of Indian culture in the Countries of South East
Asia such as Indo-China, Malay Archipelago and
Myanmar.
5. Hindu temples in South East Asia and their architecture.
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MODEL QUESTIONS
I. Choose the correct answer.
1. The Chola king who permitted the Sailendras to build
monastery in Nagapattinam

1. The city of Lhasa was founded by ……
2. The capital of eastern Java ……
III. Match the following.
1. Angkorwat temple a) Sailendras
2. Borobudur b) Sri Lanka
3. Sigiriya c) South Annam
4. Champa d) Suryavarman II
IV. Find out the correct statement. One statement alone is
right.
a) Borobudur is the greatest monument of Indo-Java art.
b) Borobudur was a Vashnavite temple.
c) Sailendra rulers were Saivites.
d) The scenes from Ramayana are carved in Borobudur.
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V. State whether the following statements are True or
False.
1. The first Hindu dynasty of Champa was established by Sri
Mara.
2. The kingdom of Bali was influenced by Buddhism.
VI. Write short notes (Any three points).
1. Angkorwat
2. Borobudur
3. Cultural contacts between India and Myanmar
4. India and Bali.
VII. Answer briefly (100 words).
1. Trace the cultural contacts between India and China.
2. Write a short note on Indo-Java Art.
VIII. Answer in detail (200 words).
1. Give an account of the spread of Indian culture in South East
Asia.
2. Assess the impact of Indian cultural influence in other parts of
Asia