What is Indianisation?
Indianisation is the spread of the Indian culture and its beliefs to various regions of the world; in this case Southeast Asia.
This spread of culture has greatly influenced the societies and communities that it reached and left a long lasting impact; however the communities themselves have also redefined and adapted the concepts to create a unique brand - do check out the Khmer Empire exhibit to find out more.
This spread of culture has greatly influenced the societies and communities that it reached and left a long lasting impact; however the communities themselves have also redefined and adapted the concepts to create a unique brand - do check out the Khmer Empire exhibit to find out more.
The Spread of Indianisation
Indian influence in Southeast Asia started around the 2nd Century BC, spreading through the region due to trade and political relations. It is widely believed that the spread of Indian culture to Southeast Asia was 'peaceful propagation', achieved through peaceful means. This exhibit will be focusing on the Indianisation of Southeast Asia during the Golden Age of Empires and Kingdoms of 7th – 14th century.
This map shows the trade routes in Southeast Asia at the time, as well as some of the major empires and kingdoms such as Srivijaya, Kediri, Khmer and Champa.
There are several theories on the specific ways that the Indian culture was spread to Southeast Asia, mainly The Kshatriya Theory, The Vaishya Theory and The Brahmin Theory. There are also various modern theories.
Click the buttons below to find out more about each of these theories:
Click the buttons below to find out more about each of these theories: