'Hinduism in Southeast Asia' influenced the former
Champa civilization in
southern parts of Central Vietnam,
Funan in
Cambodia, the
Khmer Empire in
Indochina, the
Srivijayan kingdom on
Sumatra, the
Singhasari kingdom and the
Majapahit Empire based in
Java,
Bali, and a number of the islands of the
Philippine archipelago. The civilization of
India influenced the languages, scripts, calendars, and artistic aspects of these peoples and nations. To quote from the Wikipedia article on
India, the civilizing influence of "abstract qualities such as hospitality, family values, acceptance and toleration of differences, resilience and co-existence" somewhat moderates other aspects of the
human condition.
Hinduism and Southeast Asian mythology
Some scholars have pointed out that the legends of
Ikshvaku and
Sumati may have their origin in the Southeast-Asian myth of the birth of humanity from a bitter gourd. The word Ikshvaku means "
bitter gourd". The legend of Sumati, the wife of King Sagar, tells that she produced offspring with the aid of a bitter gourd.
[1]
Earliest known times
Indian scholars wrote about the
Dvipantara or
Jawa Dwipa Hindu kingdom in
Java and
Sumatra around
200 BC. Southeast Asia was frequented by traders from eastern India, particularly
Magadha, as well as from the
Tamil kingdoms of
South India.
The
Taruma kingdom occupied West Jawa around
400. There was a marked
Buddhist influence starting about
425.
Dvaravati period
Other Indic influences, such as
Theravada Buddhism, held sway during the
Dvaravati period (6th to 11th century), which survive in
Sri Lanka,
Myanmar (formerly
Burma),
Cambodia, and
Thailand.
Seafaring Peoples
These peoples engaged in extensive trade, which attracted the attention of the
Mongols,
Chinese and
Japanese, as well as
Islamic traders, who reached the Aceh area of
Sumatra in the
1100s.
Cambodia
Apsaras relief from Angkor Wat, Cambodia
was first influenced by Hinduism during the beginning of the
Funan kingdom. Hinduism was one of the
Khmer Empire's official religions. Cambodia is the home to one of the only two temples dedicated to
Brahma in the world.
Angkor Wat of Cambodia is the largest Hindu temple of the world.
Java
Main articles: Hinduism in Java
The
Singhasari kingdom fell to Kediri. The last Singhasari king's son-in-law,
Wijaya took over the kingdom by allying himself with the Mongols in
1293 and created the
Majapahit kingdom. The Majapahit then turned on
Kublai Khan's forces and drove them out. This established Majapahit hegemony over Java. Today there are a few remaining Hindu communities in Java. The
Tenggerese, some
Osings, and to some extent the
Baduis are still Hindus.
Laos
Laos used to part of Khmer Empire. The
Wat Phou is one of the last influences of that period. The Laotion adaption of the Ramayana is called
Phra Lak Phra Lam.
Myanmar
Thuyathadi seated on a
hamsa, and holding pamphlets (representing literature) by a river.
Hindu temple in Mandalay
Hinduism in Myanmar is practised by less than 2% of the population (approximately 240,000), with most practitioners being
Burmese Indians. Because a reliable census has not been taken in Myanmar since colonial times, the given figures are rough estimates. Despite its minority designation today, Hinduism has been greatly influential in
Burmese history and
literature. Hinduism, along with Buddhism, greatly influenced the royal court of Burmese kings in pre-colonial times, as seen in the architecture of cities such as
Bagan. Likewise, the
Burmese language contains many
loanwords from
Sanskrit and
Pali, many of which relate to religion. Several aspects of Hinduism can be found in Myanmar today. In
nat worship, which is practised by the dominant
Bamar ethnic group, Burmese adaptations of Hindu gods are worshipped. For example, the king of the nats, Thagyamin, is identified with the Hindu god
Indra. Burmese literature has also been enriched by Hinduism, including the Burmese adaption of the Ramayana, called
Yama Zatdaw. Many Hindu gods are likewise worshipped by
Burmese Buddhists, including
Saraswati (known as Thuyathadi in
Burmese), the goddess of knowledge, who is often worshipped before examinations.
Thailand
A number of Hindus remain in Thailand. They are mostly located in the cities. In the past, the nation came under the influence of the
Khmer Empire, which had strong Hindu roots. The epic,
Ramakien, is based on the
Ramayana. The city,
Ayutthaya, is named after Ayodhya, the birthplace of
Rama. Numerous rituals derived from Brahminism are preserved in rituals, such as use of holy strings and pouring of lustral water from conch shells. Furthermore, Hindu deities are worshipped by many Thais alongside Buddhism, such as the famous
Erawan shrine, and statues of
Ganesh,
Indra, and
Shiva, as well as numerous symbols relating to Hindu deities are found, e.g.,
Garuda, a symbol of the monarchy.
The élite, and the royal household, often employ Brahmans to mark funerals and state ceremonies such as the ploughing ceremony to ensure a good harvest. The importance of Hinduism cannot be denied, even though much of the rituals has been syncretised with Buddhism
[2].
Vietnam
The
Champa civilization was located in the more southern part of what is today Central
Vietnam, and was a highly indianized Hindu Kingdom.
Mỹ Sơn, a Hindu temple complex built by the Champa is still standing in
Quang Nam province, in Vietnam. They were conquered by the
Vietnamese and today are one of the many ethnic minorities of Vietnam.
Approximately 50,000 ethnic Cham in the south-central coastal area practice a devotional form of Hinduism. Another 4,000 Hindus live in HCMC; some are ethnic Cham but most are Indian or of mixed Indian-Vietnamese descent.
The Balamon Hindu Cham people of Vietnam consist of 70% Kshatriyas (pronounced in
Vietnamese as "Satrias"). Although Balamon make up only 25% of the overall Cham population (the other 75% are Muslims or Cham Bani). These Balamon Kshatriyas claim to be the descendants of the Champa Empire.
[3]
Sumatra and Malaya
:''Main article:
Hinduism in Malaysia''
The last prince of the
Srivijayan kingdom of Sumatra, after the loss to the Majapahit, founded the
Sultanate of Malacca on the
Straits of Malacca between Sumatra and the
Malay Peninsula. He later converted to Islam in
1414. As the
Portuguese came to trade for spices, they began to ally with the Islamic powers, which did not help the Majapahit. One third of the Bataks, particularly the Toba and Karo
Bataks.
Hinduism was deeply ingrained into the customs of local people in the form of local ''
adat'', or norms of customary law and conflict resolution.
Bali
:''Main article:
Agama Hindu Dharma''
Bali is the only area in South-East Asia where Hinduism is the dominant religion. The last Hindu court eventually retreated from Java to
Bali about
1500. The original Hinduism in Bali itself is still prevail in
Trunyan village. The resurgence of Hinduism in Indonesia is led by Balinese Hindus.
Borneo and Sulawesi
:''Main article:
Hinduism in Sulawesi''
The
Dayaks, the original inhabitants of Borneo, follow the religion of
Kaharingan, which the Indonesian government has classify as a form of
Hinduism. The Dayak Hinduism is allied to the Balinese Hinduism.
The Philippines
:''Main article
Hinduism in the Philippines.''
Until the arrival of an Arab trader to
Sulu 1450 and
Ferdinand Magellan, who sailed in behalf of
Spain 1521, the chiefs of many Philippine islands were called ''
Rajas'', and the script was derived from
Brahmi.the Tagalog (Filipino) word for teacher ''Guro'' came from the word ''guru''.
Karma, a Hindu concept is culturally understood by Filipinos. The vocabulary in all Philippine languages reflect strong Hindu influences. ''Tamad'' means lazy and may have come from the Hindu guna concept of
tamas.
In the archipelago that was to become the Philippines, the statues of the Hindu gods were hidden to prevent their destruction by a religion which destroyed all
cult images. One statue, a 4-pound gold statue of an Indo-Malayan goddess, found in
Mindanao in
1917 and now in the
Field Museum of Natural History,
Chicago, is dated from the period
1200s to early
1300s. Another gold artifact of
Garuda, the
phoenix who is the mount of
Vishnu was found on
Palawan. Today, there is a Hindu temple at Looban Street in
Paco,
Metro Manila and about 15 minutes away, there is a
Sikh temple at
U.N. Avenue. Although most of the adherents are ethnic
Indians and
Sri Lankans and
Nepalese. There are various
Hare Krishna groups that are gaining in popularity. Indians have been in the Philippines even before the Spaniards but blend into society and tend to maintain a low profile.
Hinduism was deterred by the Spread of Christianity by the Spaniards and the spread of Islam by Indonesians and Malaysian missionaries before the Spaniards.
Hinduism in modern-day Southeast Asia
Vibrant Hindu communities remain in
Malaysia,
Singapore,
Thailand, and
Indonesia (as in
Java,
Bali,
Sulawesi and
Kalimantan) (for details, see
Agama Hindu Dharma), and the Philippines mainly due to presence of Indians. One notably Southeast Asian aspect of Hinduism is the festival of
Thaipusam.
The resurgence of Hinduism in Indonesia is occurring in all parts of the country. In the early seventies, the
Toraja people of
Sulawesi were the first to be identified under the umbrella of 'Hinduism', followed by the Karo Batak of Sumatra in 1977 and the Ngaju Dayak of Kalimantan in 1980.
The growth of Hinduism has been driven also by the famous Javanese prophesies of
Sabdapalon and
Jayabaya.
Many recent converts to Hinduism had been members of the families of
Sukarno's PNI, and now support
Megawati Sukarnoputri. This return to the 'religion of
Majapahit' (Hinduism) is a matter of nationalist pride.
The new Hindu communities in Java tend to be concentrated around recently built temples (''pura'') or around archaeological temple sites (''candi'') which are being reclaimed as places of Hindu worship. An important new Hindu temple in eastern Java is Pura Mandaragiri Sumeru Agung, located on the slope of
Mt. Semeru, Java's highest mountain. Mass conversions have also occurred in the region around Pura Agung Blambangan, another new temple, built on a site with minor archaeological remnants attributed to the kingdom of
Blambangan, the last Hindu polity on Java, and Pura Loka Moksa Jayabaya (in the village of Menang near Kediri), where the Hindu king and prophet
Jayabaya is said to have achieved spiritual liberation (''
moksa''). Another site is the new Pura Pucak Raung in East Java, which is mentioned in Balinese literature as the place from where
Maharishi Markandeya took Hinduism to Bali in the fifth century AD.
An example of resurgence around major archaeological remains of ancient Hindu temple sites was observed in Trowulan near Mojokerto, the capital of the legendary Hindu empire
Majapahit. A local Hindu movement is struggling to gain control of a newly excavated temple building which they wish to see restored as a site of active Hindu worship. The temple is to be dedicated to Gajah Mada, the man attributed with transforming the small Hindu kingdom of Majapahit into an empire. Although there has been a more pronounced history of resistance to Islamization in East Java, Hindu communities are also expanding in Central Java near the ancient Hindu monuments of Prambanan.
The current estimates of Hinduism in Indonesia range from 4 to 8 percent.
References
1. Update on the Aryan Invasion Debate, , Koenraad, Elst, Aditya Prakashan, 1999, ISBN 81-86471-77-4 ; Sergent, Bernard: Genèse de l'Inde, 1997.
2. http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/2003/7-9/18-27_thailand.shtml
3. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35433.htm
See also
★
Hindu Revival in Indonesia
★
Hinduism in Singapore
★
Indianized kingdom
External links
★
Map of Khmer Empire art reveals ancient urban sprawl
★
Thailand Hinduism - A report on Hinduism in Thailand
★
Hindu-Buddhist Java and Southeast Asia
★
Hindu-Kaharingan Tiwah ceremony in Borneo
★
Hindu revival in Java
★
A tribute to hinduism
★
Hindu influence in Southeast Asia
★
Siddha Yoga Tradition in Malaysia]
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