Understanding Belief Systems in South Asia and Southeast Asia Around 1200
Overview
Focus on how Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism have been established around the year 1200 in South and Southeast Asia.
The impact and spread of these belief systems over time.
South Asia
Hinduism
Predominant religion in the region, particularly in India.
Polytheistic: Belief in many gods.
Ultimate goal: Reunion of individual soul with the world soul (Brahma) through reincarnation.
Structured society via the caste system, influencing culture for millennia.
Buddhism
Shares origins and some beliefs with Hinduism (reincarnation, cyclical birth and death).
Founded in India.
Rejects the caste system, emphasizing equality.
Considered a universalizing religion, allowing for wider spread across cultures.
Islam
Brought by Turkic Muslim invaders in 1206, establishing the Delhi Sultanate.
Became the religion of the elite in India.
Spread throughout Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia
Diverse religions practiced: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.
Belief systems underwent changes and adaptation over time.
Changes in Belief Systems
Hinduism
Bhakti movement introduced, focusing on personal devotion to a god, rejecting the caste hierarchy.
Islam
Rise of Sufism, a mystical and spiritual form of Islam, emphasizing personal spiritual experiences.
Buddhism
Became more exclusive in South Asia, primarily practiced by monks.
Declined in influence in its birthplace.
State Formation and Power Maintenance
South Asia
The Delhi Sultanate faced challenges in imposing Islam due to Hinduism's deep entrenchment.
The Vijayanagara Empire, a Hindu state, was established in the south as a response to Muslim expansion.
Southeast Asia: Sea-based States
Early influential states like the Srivijaya Empire (7th-11th century) and the Majapahit Kingdom dominated through control of strategic waterways.
Southeast Asia: Land-based States
The Sinhala dynasties in Sri Lanka and the Khmer Empire in Cambodia exemplify powerful Buddhist and Hindu land-based states, respectively.
Syncretism
The blending of Hindu and Buddhist elements in the Khmer Empire, especially in the construction of Angkor Wat, which represented the Hindu Universe but later included Buddhist statuary.