VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

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MIDTERM REPORT
ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSE - HISTORY

TOPIC: THE INFLUNCES OF INDIA ON SOUTHEAST ASIA

GROUP 1

Hoàng Phương Thảo – 21030573

Nguyễn Giáp Mỹ Huyền – 21030548
Phạm Hồng Ngọc – 21030567
Nguyễn Quỳnh Hương – 21030551

Ha Noi, 2023
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. The origin of of India's influence on Southeast Asia 2

1.1. India’s Historical Impact on Southeast Asia......................................................2

2. The influences of India on economies of Southeast Asia countries 4

3. The influences of India on the culture of Southeast Asia 5

3.1. Religion...............................................................................................................5

3.1.1. Buddhism.....................................................................................................6

3.2. Writing system...................................................................................................7

3.3. Literature...........................................................................................................7

3.4. Architecture.......................................................................................................8

3.5. Festivals and cuisine..........................................................................................9

3.5.1. Festivals........................................................................................................9

3.5.2. Cuisine..........................................................................................................9

4. Conclusion 9

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 1. The origin of of India's influence on Southeast Asia

1.1. India’s Historical Impact on Southeast Asia

- “Indianization” is a term commonly used to refer to the influence of Indian
culture on Southeast Asia and the generally peaceful and non-political penetration of
Indian culture. The concept of Indianized kingdoms, a term coined by George Coedes,
describes Southeast Asian principalities that since the early Common Era as a result of
prolonged interaction had incorporated central aspects of Indian institutions, religion,
statecraft, administration, culture, epigraphy, writing and architecture.

- Since around 500 B.C Asia’s expanding land and maritime trade had led to
socio- economic interaction and cultural stimulation and diffusion of mainly Hindu
caused regional geo - strategic remodeling.
- As one of the countries with the longest development history in the world, India
has a strong impact on human civilization in general and Southeast Asian countries in
particular. Because the identity of this most densely populated region in the world is
the synthesis and combination of local culture and the culture of imported countries.
- We can see the transfer of Indian traditions through geographical proximity and
the considerable wealth of Southeast Asia that attracted Indians. “India” is defined as
the Indian subcontinent up to the end of colonial rule.
- Indian culture itself arose from many different cultures and peoples, including
early Southeast Asia, especially the influence of South Asians on early Indians. The

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reason for accepting Indian culture and religious traditions in Southeast Asia is because
Indian culture has similarities with the indigenous culture of Southeast Asia.
1.2. How India influenced Southeast Asia ?
- Folk singers and artists play a very important role in popularizing and
transforming Indian literary works in Southeast Asia and it is the most popular and
effective way to spread Indian culture. Through the retelling of stories from generation
to generation, the great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata could be edited and retold to
appeal to ever larger audiences. The artists who popularized these works were called
'dalang' and contributed to the process of adapting these epic works originating outside
their country by adding or changing them to make them suitable. more contextual and
localized.
- Sculptors and artists copied and combined original Indian motifs with local
artistic motifs to create something uniquely Southeast Asian and create stylized
masterpieces of their own. Modeled on Gupta period icons, Cambodian sculptures
from the 8th to 13th centuries vary widely in shape and form but they are beautiful
works representing stylized figures of the gods. Gods, goddesses, Buddhas, Apsaras
and demons have Southeast Asian characteristics.
- There is much demand for Indian goods and trade between India and Southeast
Asia, merchants took up residence there and from there spread to other countries in the
region. Hindu priests and Buddhist monks accompanied the merchant class and
assumed leadership roles in spreading the message of Indian thought and culture to the
entire Southeast Asian region. As a result, Hindu Brahmin merchants, monks and
priests traveled to distant kingdoms such as Cambodia and Indonesia in large numbers
and Indian culture, religion and civilization spread to different parts of Southeast Asia.
- Sanskrit script is the first known form of writing in Southeast Asia. The same
alphabet is also applied to local languages. The alphabets used today for Burmese,
Thai, Lao and Cambodian are derived from Indian prototypes. A large number of
ancient inscriptions discovered are in Sanskrit.

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 - South Indian traders, explorers, teachers, and priests continued to be the
dominant influences in Southeast Asia. Hinduism and Buddhism both spread to these
states from India and over many centuries. Eventually, the mainland states became
predominantly Buddhist.

- Austronesian sailors from island Southeast Asia first established contact and
trade with South India and Sri Lanka as early as 500 BC. This led to the importation of
Southeast Asian material and culture into South Asia; as well as connecting the
material cultures of India and China. These early Austronesian trade routes connecting
Southeast Asia with India also became the maritime aspect of the wider spice trade
network, which later also served as maritime trade. Sustained contact between
Southeast Asia and South Asia led to cultural exchange, in addition to the exchange of
goods.
2. The influences of India on economies of Southeast Asia countries
India has had a significant influence on the economy of Southeast Asia
throughout history, particularly during ancient and medieval times.
- Trade and the Maritime Silk Road: In ancient times, India played a vital role in
trade with Southeast Asian countries through the Maritime Silk Road. These trade

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relations facilitated the exchange of goods such as spices, ceramics, textiles, and
agricultural products, contributing to the economic growth of the region. The Maritime
Silk Road, also known as the Spice Route, was a major trade route connecting India
with Southeast Asia.

- Merchants and Pirates: Due to its geographical location right on the maritime
route between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, Southeast Asia has long been
considered a corridor and bridge between China and Japan with India and West Asia.
and the Mediterranean. From early on, there were many merchants and traders who
built boats across the sea to trade in Southeast Asia

● Indian merchants were actively engaged in maritime trade and

sometimes in piracy in the region. They were instrumental in developing

the Indian-SE Asian maritime trade routes, contributing to the economic
interconnectedness of the region. However, there are also historical
accounts of conflicts related to piracy activities.

- Taxation and Currency Systems: India imparted knowledge of taxation and

currency systems to various Southeast Asian nations. Indian contributions to the

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establishment of tax and currency systems had a lasting impact on economic
governance in the region.
- One notable example of India's influence in Southeast Asia is its impact
on the Kingdom of Funan, one of the early states in the territory of present-day
Cambodia and neighboring areas:

● Trade and Investment: Funan developed an agrarian and artisanal

market economy and engaged in trade with India, China, and other
maritime Southeast Asian countries. Goods like ceramics,
glassware, and handicrafts were exchanged through trade routes.
Funan also assimilated Indian economic elements, such as currency
systems and business practices.

● Administrative System and Economic Governance: Funan adopted

administrative systems influenced by India, including the creation and

application of taxation and currency systems. These Indian-inspired
systems were used for tax collection and managing the nation's
assets.The incorporation of Indian economic elements and practices
during the process of Indianization contributed significantly to the
economic development and advancement of the ancient Funan Kingdom
in areas such as trade, commerce, and administrative management.

3. The influences of India on the culture of Southeast Asia

3.1. Religion

India is known as the country of religion. This is known as the birthplace of the
largest religions in the world today such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism.
Therefore, religion is also an area in which Southeast Asian countries are influenced.
In fact, Hinduism and Buddhism have a substantial effect on many parts in the world,
especially in South East Asia

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 3.1.1. Buddhism

- Buddhism is a religion that was considered to have been founded by Siddhartha

Gautama more than 2,500 years ago. He is called the Buddha
- With approximately 470 million Buddhists, scholars consider Buddhism as one
of the major world religions. Buddhism performance has historically been the most
popular in East and Southeast Asia. In Southeast Asia, Buddhism overlaps with other
beliefs.

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 - It penetrates each country at different times, through different paths, and its
effects are also uneven. According to some historical researchers, Buddhism first
appeared in Southeast Asia around the first and second centuries AD.
- Buddhism separated into two main traditions including Mahayana and
Theravada. Mahayana is predominant in East Asia while Theravada is dominant in
most of the countries in mainland SouthEast Asia. In fact, there are 4 out of 5 countries
follow Theravada Buddhism: Laos, Campuchia, Myanmar and Thailand, except for
only Viet Nam

3.1.2. Hinduism

- Hinduism spread to Southeast Asia at the beginning of the common era and
played an important role in the formation of early states in this region. Clan leaders in
the area adopted the Hindu model of kingship and social organization and applied it in
their territories. People also easily accept the nature gods of Hinduism with the thought
of being blessed with prosperity and a full and prosperous life.

- According to Hindus, the triple gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva played
different significant roles.

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 ● According to Hindus, Brahma is the Creator

● Vishnu is responsible for maintaining the order harmony of the universe.

● Shiva is supposed to destroy the universe in order to prepare for its

renewal at the end of each cycle of time

- There are two primary symbols associated with Hinduism, the Om and the
Swastika.
- The word swastika means “good fortune” or “being happy” in Sanskrit, and the
symbol represents good luck
- The Om symbol is composed of three Sanskrit letters and represents three
sounds (a, u, m), which when combined are considered a sacred sound.

3.2. Writing system

Indian writing systems such as Sanskrit and Pali are used for the language
systems of India in general and its religion and culture in particular. When Buddhism
and Hinduism were propagated into Southeast Asian countries, especially the mainland
part in ancient times, Pali and Sanskrit were also introduced to South East Asia. As a
result, these writing systems are the foundations to mold and develop many of the
writing systems in Southeast Asia, including Thai, Khmer, Lao and Javanese and
Burmese.

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 Pali was considered the language of Theraväda Buddhism while Sanskrit is
counted as the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu
philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism.

3.3. Literature

- The influence of Indian culture on Southeast Asia is shown extremely clearly in

literary works. The literary flow is imbued with folk cultural identity, epics such as
Ramayana (an ancient epic written in the form of a long poem in Sanskrit),
Mahabharata (one of the two most famous epic works in India, a long-standing
version, Jakarta, Panchatantra,..
- Some examples for this argument:

● The Reamker is the Cambodian version of the Ramayana which is the

famous Indian epic.

● Burmese literature was historically influenced by Indian and Thai

cultures, as seen in many works, such as the Ramayana.

● Yama Zatdaw is the Burmese version of the Ramayana. There are nine

known pieces of the Yama Zatdaw in Myanmar.

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 3.4. Architecture

- Architecture of mainland countries in South East Asia is also impacted by

Buddhism or Hinduism architecture.
- It can be said that most of the buildings in Southeast Asia are made according to
architecture or to worship a certain Indian god. Sculptural motifs, decorations,
architectural themes, reliefs, etc. bear a strong Indian impression.
- The most important works of Buddhism architecture in Laos, Cambodia,
Myanmar and Thailand are the wat or chedi. It is a Buddhist stupa which was built to
commemorate the life of the Buddha and to house sacred Buddha relics.
- Angkor Watt is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious
monument in the world by land area, on the site measuring 162.6 hectares.
- Originally, constructed as a Hindu temple for the god Vishnu during the Khmer
Empire, it was gradually turned into a Buddhist temple in the end of 12th century. As a
result, it is described as a Hindu-Buddhist temple.

- Although religious architecture has been widespread in Indonesia, one of the

most significant architectural styles developed in Java.

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 - Buddhist monument Borobudur was listed as one of the World Heritages and
was built by the Sailendra Dynasty between 700 and 850 AD. After that it was
abandoned shortly, it was completed due to the decline of Buddhism and a shift of
power to eastern Java.

3.5. Festivals and cuisine

3.5.1. Festivals

- Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and

Vietnam all have Indian cultural influences in their festivals. New Year holidays in
some countries are very close to each other. Including the time of the festival, the
purpose and nature of the festival.

- For example, the Indian festival of Diwali has become a part of many religious
and cultural festivals in Southeast Asia. This festival is held to celebrate the victory of
light over darkness and is usually held in October or November every year.

3.5.2. Cuisine

Southeast Asian cuisine is greatly influenced by India, especially in the use of

spices and foods. Dishes such as curry, chili sauce, garlic bread, cheese toast, and
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many more are of Indian origin and are widely popular in Southeast Asian cuisine. In
addition, vegetables, tubers, fruits and spices from India are also used in many
Southeast Asian dishes, creating diversity and richness in this region's cuisine. Indian
dishes have also been adapted and developed in their own ways in each country in
Southeast Asia, creating diversity and richness in the cuisine of this region.

4. Conclusion

India has had a significant influence on the culture, religion, and trade of
Southeast Asian countries. The spread of Hinduism and Buddhism from India to South
East Asia led to the development of unique cultural practices and art forms in countries
such as Indonesia, Cambodia, and Thailand. Indian traders also played a crucial role in
the development of maritime trade routes in the region, which facilitated the exchange
of goods and ideas between India and SouthEast Asia. Additionally, Indian languages
such as Sanskrit and Pali have had a lasting impact on the languages of SouthEast
Asia, with many words and phrases borrowed from these languages. Overall, India's
influence on SouthEast Asia has been profound and continues to be felt in the region
today.

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