INDIANIZATION INSOUTHEAST ASIA

By: Everlee and Ruzzel

• Indianization refers to the propagation of the Indian Civilization.

• This propagation was a two-way process, that is, the propagation of the Indian Civilization was effected not only by the Indian Colonists and colonizers, but also by the Southeast Asians themselves. These Southeast Asians, particularly the Malays, were bold navigators. Hence, visiting the parts of India let them acquire Indian culture and brought them to their native countries.

  Sri Vijaya Majapahit

Other names Sin-fo-tsi(Chinese)Zabagin(Arabian)

 

Nationality Malayan

Culture Indianized

Capital Palembang Majapahit

Capital Mahayana Buddhist

Brahmanistic Hindu

The Sri Vijaya and Majapahit Empire

Sri Vijaya Empire

In the islands of South East Asia, the first organized state to achieve fame was the Hindu-ised Malay kingdom of Srivijaya, with its capital at Palembang in southern Sumatra. Its commercial pre-eminence was based on command of the sea route from India to China between Sumatra and the Malay peninsula (later known as the Straits of Malacca).

In the 6th – 7th centuries Srivijaya succeeded Funan as the leading state in South East Asia. Its ruler was the overlord of the Malay peninsula and western Java as well as Sumatra. Like most of the early kingdoms of South East Asia, Srivijaya was Indian in culture and administration, and Buddhism became firmly entrenched there.

Candi Gumpung, a Buddhist temple at Muaro Jambiof Malayu Kingdom, later integrated as one of

Srivijaya's important urban center.

Ruins of the Wat Kaew in Chaiya, dating from Srivijayan times.

Majapahit Empire

Majapahit was a vast archipelagic empire based on the island of Java (modern-day Indonesia) from 1293 to around 1500. Majapahit reached its peak of glory during the era of Hayam Wuruk, whose reign from 1350 to 1389 marked by conquest which extended through Southeast Asia. His achievement is also credited to his prime minister, Gajah Mada. According to the Nagarakretagama (Desawarñana) written in 1365, Majapahit was an empire of 98 tributaries, stretching from Sumatra to New Guinea; consisting of present day Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, southern Thailand, the Philippines, and East Timor, although the true nature of Majapahit sphere of influence is still the subject of studies among historians. Majapahit was one of the last major empires of the region and is considered to be one of the greatest and most powerful empires in the history of Indonesia and Southeast Asia, one that is sometimes seen as the precedent for Indonesia's modern boundaries. Its influence extended beyond the modern territory of Indonesia and has been the subject of many studies. Germanorientalist Berthold Laufer suggested that maja came from the Javanese name of an Indonesian tree.

The graceful Bidadari Majapahit, golden celestial apsara in Majapahit style perfectly describes Majapahit as "the golden age" of the archipelago.

Jabung temple near Paiton, Probolinggo, East Java, dated from Majapahit period.

The Philippines was never ruled by the Sri Vijayan and Majapahit Empire due to ff:

• There are plenty of historical materials on Sri Vijaya as a maritime power and its relation with China in the annals of Tang, Yuan, Sung, and Ming Dynasty. Of those materials, there is no mentioned about Philippines being a vassal state of the Sri Vijaya Empire.

• Chau-ju-kua in his chronicles, listed fifteen vassal states of the Sri Vijaya and the Philippines is not one of them. Contemporary authorities on the history of Southeast Asia never claimed that Philippines was a vassal state of the Sri Vijaya Empire.

• The claim of Prapanca in his eulogistic poem, Negarakertagama, that ninety- four vassal states of Majapahit Empire includes Solot which he referred as Sulu of the Philippines is not real. Most likely, Solots are the tiny island in the lesser Sundas which still bears the name Solot and the northeastern part of Borneo.

Relations to the Orang Dampuans

• The Orang Dampuans or Men of Champa are group of immigrants who came in the Philippines from Southern Annam (Modern Vietnam) between 900- 1200 A.D.

• They established a trading post in Sulu that resulted in a flourishing trade between Sulu and Southern Annam.

• Their main interest is to have trade with Buranuns People of Sulu).

• Their increasing prosperity aroused jealousy of the Buranuns who in fit of anger, massacred some Orang Dampuans.

• Having superior weapons, they took their bloody revenge on the Buranuns and having leveled the enemy’s village to the ground, sailed to their homeland.