Indian Influences in Southeast Asia

This essay discusses why Indian influences were more prevalent than Chinese influences in premodern Southeast Asia, focusing on religion, art, architecture, and political culture. It provides specific examples to support the arguments.

Running Head: Sociology
Sociology
Essay
System04104
5/29/2019

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Q. Why were Indian influences far more prevalent than Chinese influences in the pre-
modern states of Southeast Asia, especially in the areas of religion, art, architecture,
and political culture? Demonstrate your arguments through specific examples.
Answer
India is known for its diversity in culture, religions, language, living style, and its peaceful
thinking. India is a peaceful country that is developing with fastest speed in the Southeast
Asia. The Rugged Mountain separated the Burma, China, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, and
Thailand. Most of these countries are influenced by the Buddhism and Hinduism that were
originated in India and spread in all these countries. The Hindu religion and kingdom was
found in Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and other regions of south East Asia. Both Buddhism
and Hinduism religion are known for their peaceful thinking and approaches. This mentality
of Indian religions and Indian people influence and attract the other south East Asian nations
in compare to China (Hall, 2016). However, the Indian traders brought their ideas about
Hinduism and endian culture in these countries and it was adopted by the many countries in
that region. Even the china has adopted the Buddhism culture of India. Later, many Hindu
and Buddhism people and trader took the residence in these countries and the community of
Hindu religion and Buddhism religion was established. As these people are developed in the
area and their ideas about the religions were developed they spread in the country. However,
the great example of such community is Khmer civilization at Angkor Wat, which was
initially a Hindu civilization (Pant and Super, 2015).
From A.D. 350 to 880, the Pallava kingdom ruled over the south India, and the Indian culture
spread in South Asia of the Asian continent. The people adopted the dance of India and their
culture in the different part of the Southeast Asia (Pardesi, 2015). The Kathakali, Kathak,
Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, dance some of the Indian dance style that is copied by the other
Asian countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia etc., where Indian people are
living. However, the culture and music of India is famous in most of the Asian nations
(Dayley, 2018). Even in the some part of the Southeast Asia, people love to see the Indian
movies and drama. The Indian influence on the Southeast Asia is continuously increasing in
compare to China. The literature and drama of Indian culture and art also leave a great impact
on the Southeast Asian nations (Pollock, 2018). The legends of India spread their great work
in all over the world including Southeast Asian nations. For example, one of the epic of India,

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called Ramayana is so popular in Thailand just like in India. Thailand has adapted the
Ramayana story of India and has prepared own ‘Ramakien’, which is inspired and based on
the Indian Ramayana, but shows the Thai lifestyle (Shah, 2017). However, apart from this,
the Indian dance style is also adopted by the Thailand and other countries. The old culture
and thousands of years old civilization of India has great impact and influence on the other
nations of the Southeast Asia and this is the major reason why India is more influence than
China in the South East Asia.
A part from these cultural and religious aspects, there are some political conditions that make
a huge difference between India and China and provide an edge to the Indian democratic
culture over the Chinese Capitalist economy and culture. However, the intention of china is
always to acquire the land of other countries and its expansion policy always discriminate it
from the Indian thinking and culture (Stevens, et. al., 2016). China is always thinking on its
expansion policy, thus the impact of its sentiments towards the words is not trustable for the
other countries in the Southeast Asia. This is the region that India has more influenced in the
Southeast part of the Asia than China. Both China and Indian are growing economy in Asia
and developing with a faster speed in the world (Wagner, 2016). The population of both the
countries are huge in the world. China is the most populated country and India is the second
populated country in the world. However, this is the reason that both the country is
developing with the high speed (Wei, et. al., 2015). However, the major difference is here
about the intentions of development. China is currently focusing on establish itself as a world
power and superior power in world economy, while India is still working on its development
and maintain a good relationship with the neighbour countries in the Southeast Asia. The
thinking of India is to become a secular and socialist economy and it is influenced by the
Nehru’s ideal and practice in maintain a good and healthy relationship with the other nations.
However, from the last two decades or in the current ruling of Narendra Modi government,
India is focusing on both maintaining a good relationship with the Southeast Asian nations
and establishing the country as the economic power in the Southeast Asia (Tsui and
Tollefson, 2017). However, the liberal policy of India is also making a difference in the
political scenario, because China has restricted policies and framework with other countries
of the world including Southeast Asia, while India is following a Unitarian nationalism.
Few years back, Beijing and Washington have a great influence on the Southeast Asia, but
the increasing power of Narendra Modi government continuously focusing on establish a

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strong relationship with the neighbour country and help the other country in the economic
issues as well. Narendra Modi, who has been selected even the second time as a Prime
minister in India through a democratic election system. However, the Southeast Asian nations
are now looking for diversify their strategic partnerships with India rather than their old
binary choices China and USA. India continuously increasing it influences with the other
Asian countries and it can be possible because of various political and economical trade
agreements with India. However, the political condition in India is stable from last 5 to 6
years that also helps the country to establish itself as one of the influential power in the
Southeast Asia rather than China (Wojczewski, 2016). The extensive anxieties and worries of
Southeast Asian nations over the China’s ambitions have helped India to make many political
and economic agreements with the Southeast Asian nations. This policy of India is known as
“Act east.” In the end, it can be said that current political situation and India’s peaceful
thinking, and attraction of countries towards the Indian culture, thinking, and traditions make
it more influential country in the Southeast Asia than China. However, people cannot ignore
the political policies of current BJP government in India, which focuses on establishing a
good and strong political and economic relationship with the Southeast Asian nations.

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References
Dayley, R. (2018) Southeast Asia in the new international era. UK, London: Routledge.
Hall, I. (2016) Multialignment and Indian foreign policy under Narendra Modi. The Round
Table, 105(3), pp.271-286.
Pant, H.V. and Super, J.M., (2015) India's ‘non-alignment’conundrum: a twentieth-century
policy in a changing world. International Affairs, 91(4), pp.747-764.
Pardesi, M.S., (2015) Is India a great power? understanding great power status in
contemporary international relations. Asian Security, 11(1), pp.1-30.
Pollock, S. (2018) India in the vernacular millennium: Literary culture and polity, 1000-1500.
In Public spheres and collective identities (pp. 41-74). Routledge.
Shah, S. K. (2017). India and Its Neighbours: Renewed Threats and New Directions. India,
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Stevens, C.J., Murphy, C., Roberts, R., Lucas, L., Silva, F. and Fuller, D.Q. (2016) Between
China and South Asia: A Middle Asian corridor of crop dispersal and agricultural innovation
in the Bronze Age. The Holocene, 26(10), pp.1541-1555.
Tsui, A.B. and Tollefson, J.W. (2017) Language policy, culture, and identity in Asian
contexts. UK, London: Routledge.
Wagner, C. (2016). The Role of India and China in South Asia. Strategic Analysis, 40(4),
307-320.
Wei, W., Zhang, R., Wen, M., Kim, B.J. and Nam, J.C. (2015) Interannual variation of the
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Wojczewski, T., (2016) China’s rise as a strategic challenge and opportunity: India’s China
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