Everything about Indianized Kingdom totally explained
The concept of the
Indianized kingdom, first described by
George Coedès, is based upon the
Hindu and
Buddhist cultural and economic influences in
Southeast Asia. Despite being culturally akin to Hindu cultures to western historians these kingdoms were truly indigenous and independent of
India. States such as
Srivijaya and the
Khmer empire developed territories and economies that rivalled those in India itself.
Borobudur, for example, is the largest Buddhist monument ever built. Coedes has been criticised for understating the Southeast Asian element of these kingdoms, in an unconscious echo of the European "civilising mission." More recent scholars tend to emphasize the contribution of Southeast Asian societies and rulers to the formation of these states. In particular, where Coedès saw Indian merchants as the founders of these states, contemporary scholars see Southeast Asian rulers as founding them and then importing Indian ritual specialists as advisers on rajadharma, or the practices of Indian kingship. The modern view is supported by the argument that merchants wouldn't have possessed the ritual knowledge so prominent in these kingdoms.
The Indianized kingdoms developed a close affinity and internalised Indian religious, cultural and economic practices without significant direct input from Indian rulers themselves. While the issue remains controversial, it's thought that Indianization was the work of Indian traders and merchants, although later the travels of Buddhist monks such as
Atisha became important. Also a significant part of the current population in South East Asia has a trace of Indian ancestry from distant antiquity although the knowledge of the ancestry is mostly lost. Most Indianized kingdoms combined both Hindu and Buddhist beliefs and practices in a
syncretic manner.
Kertanagara, the last king of
Singhasari, described himself as
Sivabuddha, a simultaneous incarnation of the Hindu god and the
Buddha. Southeast Asian rulers enthusiastically adopted elements of rajadharma, (Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, codes and court practices) to legitimate their own rule and constructed cities, such as
Angkor, to affirm royal power by reproducing a map of sacred space derived from the
Ramayana and
Mahabharata. Southeast Asian rulers frequently adopted lengthy
Sanskrit titles and founded cities, such as
Ayutthaya in
Thailand, named after those in the Indian epics.
These kingdoms prospered from the
Spice Route, trade among themselves and the Indian kingdoms. The influence of Indian culture is visible in the script, grammar, religious observances, festivities, architecture and artistic idioms even today. The influence of
Indian and
Chinese cultures blended with native cultures, created a new synthesis. The Southeast Asian region was previously called by the name
Indochina. The influence of Indian and Chinese cultures are both strongly visible in this region even today, with the majority of the region being Indianized and Vietnam Sinocized. The reception of Hinduism and Buddhism aided the civilizational maturity of these kingdoms but also subjected them to aggression by Indian and Chinese rulers. The Chinese ruled Vietnam for a millennium, while the Chola dynasty of South India ruled over Srivijaya briefly. And though Southeast Asia is an economic powerhouse in its own right, the need to balance Chinese economic and political influence with that of India remains an important factor for the region.
Cultural and trading relations between the powerful
Chola kingdom of South India and the South East Asian Hindu kingdoms, led the
Bay of Bengal to be called "The Chola Lake" and the Chola attacks on Srivijaya in the tenth century CE are the sole example of military attacks by Indian rulers against Southeast Asia. The
Pala dynasty of
Bengal, which controlled the heartland of Buddhist India maintained close economic, cultural and religious ties, particularly with Srivijaya.
The subsequent advent of
Islam, carried by Arab traders, and
Christianity carried by Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch colonial rulers significantly weakened the connection with India. Hinduism and Buddhism had found acceptance because of the cultural preferences of Southeast Asian societies rulers. In contrast, Islam and
Catholicism became predominant by proselytization and military force.
Chinese influence grew with the gradual migration of Chinese traders and merchants who introduced a strong
Confucian strain to the
syncretic culture. Chinese influence dominated in
Vietnam, although other states such as the Khmer empire and
Malacca were drawn into Chna's diplomatic orbit. While Buddhism remains the dominant religion in mainland Southeast Asia, Hinduism survives in
Bali and Christianity is the dominant religion in the
Philippines and eastern
Indonesia. Cultural practices like the performances of the Hindu
epic, the
Ramayana across all of Southeast Asia. Traces of Hindu culture are visible also in the
Sanskrit etymology of words in Bahasa Malaysia,
Indonesian and other regional languages as well as personal names.
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