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CHAPTER 9
THE EXPANSION OF CIVILIZATION IN SOUTHERN ASIA
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CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. The Silk Road
A. Cross-Asia trade preceded even Rome-China trade
B. Expanded c. 100s C.E. with mastering the monsoon, thus trade also across Indian Ocean
1. Balance of trade went against Rome/Mediterranean
C. Ideas, not must material goods
1. Fa Xian (400s. C.E.) and other Buddhists travel between China and India
a. Pilgrims erect statues, e.g. at Bamiyan, near Kabul in Afghanistan
2. Kushan kingdom under Kanishka, 100s C.E., profit by trade and support Buddhism
3. Wealthy Buddhist monasteries and merchant supporters, e.g. at Varanasi
II. India After the Mauryas
A. The Gupta Dynasty: A New Golden Age?
1. Kushan kingdom decline in 200s
2. In 320 Chandragupta, local raja, established a state in central Ganges valley
a. Capital was Pataliputra
3. Gupta territory was expanded under Samudragupata
4. Eventually became largest Indian state since the Mauryas
5. A New Golden Age?
a. Prosperous trade with China, Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean
b. Economy regulated by the government, but also a large private sector
6. Gupta decline in late 400s as the result of nomad invasions from northwest
a. India again divided into numerous small kingdoms engaging in war
B. The Transformation of Buddhism
1. In centuries after death of Siddhartha, he became to be regarded as a divinity and
abstract nirvana replaced in popular mind with visions of heavenly salvation
2. Theravada, or “the teaching of the elders”
a. Buddhism a way of life and code of behavior, and not a salvationist creed
3. Mahayana, “the greater vehicle”
a. Devotion possible for the many, but behavior only possible for the few
b. Called Theravada Buddhism “Hinayana,” or “lesser vehicle” because fewer
would reach enlightenment
c. Bodhisattvas (who possesses the essence of Buddhahood) would remain on
earth in spirit to help other humans achieve release from cycle of life
1) Theravada Buddhism say apply only to Siddhartha, but
Mahayana Buddhist say many Bodhisattvas, e.g.
Avalokitesvara, “Lord of Compassion,” or as Guan Yin in China
d. Buddhism was a religion not just a philosophy for Mahayana Buddhism
1) Nirvana not extinction but a true heaven
C. The Decline of Buddhism in India
1. Evolution of Brahmanism into Hinduism, which appealed to the wider populace
a. Brahmanism was elitist and limited
b. Devotion (bhakti) by all Hindus through ritual acts
2. Buddhism largely disappeared in India
a. Theravada Buddhism survived in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia
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b. Mahayana Buddhism survived in China, Korea, and Japan
II. The Arrival of Islam
A. In 711, Muslim forces conquered lower Sind and then moved into Punjab frontier
1. No further advances by Islam until end of 900s
B. The Empire of Mahmud of Ghazni
1. Kingdom of Ghazni founded in present-day Afghanistan in 962
2. Mahmud of Ghazni (997-1030), second king
3. By time of death (1030), ruled upper Indus valley and south to Indian Ocean
a. Much destruction, religious and otherwise
b. Opposition to Mahmud led by Rajputs, aristocratic Hinds clans
1) Rajputs used infantry and elephants, which was no match for
Mahmud’s cavalry
C. The Delhi Sultanate
1. By 1200s, the Muslim Delhi sultanate ruled the entire north Indian plain
2. Little initial success in south, in part due to Mongol threat on northwestern frontier
3. Mongol threat declined, and the Tughluqs established anew dynasty (1320-1413)
D. Tamerlane (b. c. 1330s), also known as Timur-i-lang (Timur the Lame)
1. Ruler of a Mongol khanate based in Samarkand
2. Conquered east of Caspian Sea, Baghdad, Mesopotamia, and raided Anatolia
3. Raided Delhi in 1398, massacred 100,000 Hindu prisoners
4. By end of 1400s, India threatened again by the Mughals and Portuguese traders
III. Society and Culture
A. Religion
1. Islam generally tolerant of other religions, but periodic attacks against Hindus
2. Many Indians converted to Islam, some voluntarily, including many peasants/sudras
3. Islam and Hinduism contrasting religions
a. Monotheism v. many gods, or avatars
b. Islamic egalitarianism v. hierarchical Hinduism
c. Muslim eating of beef v. sexual frankness of Hindu art
4. Islamic and Hindu borrowings
a. Divine right kingship of Hindus, Muslim cavalry, Muslim purdah
5. Muslim rulers tried to maintain strict separation between rulers and Hindu majority
6. Problems of caste and class
7. The Sikhs, (Nanak, early 1500s) an attempt to reconcile Islam and Hinduism
B. Economy and Daily Life: estimated 100 million population by year 1000
1. Agriculture
a. Most Indians were farmers, and most farmers were peasants
b. Wheat and barley in upland regions, rice in Ganges valley and southern coast
2.Foreign Trade remained high, especially in Dravidian kingdoms of the south
a. Trade goods included cotton, spices
b. Governments often had monopoly on foreign trade
c. Existence of castes had a limiting effect on development of internal trade
C. The Wonder of Indian Culture
1. Art and Architecture
a. Ajanta caves in the Deccan Plateau, including sculpture, painting, architecture
1) Mostly Buddhist, and was carved out of solid rock, 460-47
b. Mamallapuram cave temples and shore temple, near Madras
c. Hindu temples, covered with ornate sculptures, e.g. the Sun Temple at
Konarak and the five temples of Khajuraho
2. Literature
a. Religious poetry written in Sanskrit and Dravidian in south
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1) Erotic, divine ecstasy, and told of Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu
b. Kalidasa, a poet and dramatist (The Cloud Messenger and Shakuntala)
c. Also prose, e.g. Dandin’s (The Ten Princes), in the 600s
3. Music
a. Early music from the chanting of Vedic hymns
b. Based on hundreds of scales, or raga, and improvise, possibly using a sitar
IV. The Golden Region: Early Southeast Asia, between India (South Asia) and China (East Asia)
A. Two major components
1. Mainland region (from Chinese border to Malay Peninsula)
a. North-south mountain ranges, and river valleys that run south
b. First millennium C.E., two groups migrated to the region
1) The Thai from southwestern China
2) The Burmese from the Tibetan highlands
3) Both settled in the river valley deltas
c. Mountainous terrain kept groups isolated, thus never unified under a single
government
2. An extensive archipelago, including modern Indonesia and the Philippines
a. Communication relatively easy throughout the region
3. India and China influenced the region
a. China controlled Vietnam for most of first millennium C.E.
b. Indian merchants had considerable influence, both Hinduism and Buddhism
B. Paddy Fields and Spices: The States of Southeast Asia
1. The Mainland States
a. Kingdom of Angkor, 800s, capital was Angkor Thom
1) Destroyed by the Thai in 1432
b. Thai migrated from China , made their capital at Ayuthaya, 1351
c. Burmese kingdom of Pagan, 1000s-late 1200s, when weakened by Mongols
d. Both Thai and Burmese adopted Indian political institutions and Buddhism
2. The Malay world was linked to regional trade and the export of tropical products
a. Malay ethnics originally from southeastern China
b. Srivijaya and Majapahit, the two major trading societies in spices
1) Srivijaya, east coast of Sumatra, 700s, controlled Straits of Malacca
2) Majapahit, on Java, united most of archipelago in mid-1300s.
3. The Role of India
a. Examples of rajas and brahmin/priestly class and castes and writing system
b. Wayang kulit, or shadow play, perhaps from India
C. Daily Life—much diversity, less rigid than India, although society was hierarchical
1. Women and the Family
a. Claimed that women of the region most fortunate in the world at the time
b. Women were active in trade thus higher literacy rates, financial independence
D. World of the Spirits: religious beliefs/Indian influence
1. Early—animism and nature and ancestral spirits
2. Hinduism and Buddhism in first millennium C.E. influence local elites
a. Angkor adopted Hinduism, provided a world view and more power to rulers
b. Theravada Buddhism adopted widely in eleventh century
3. Islam widely adopted by Malays in 1200s and 1300s
4. Indian architectural styles
a. Buddhist temple of Borobudur, on Java
b. Temple of Angkor Wat at Angkor Thom, originally Hindu, later Buddhist
V. Conclusion
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THOUGHT/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE PRIMARY SOURCES
(BOXED DOCUMENTS)
1. “The Good Life in Medieval India”—What major aspects of medieval Indian life does Fa Xian cite?
Do you think that his comments are objective? Are they realistic? Why or why not? Would there have
been any group in fifth century China that would correspond to the Chandalas, or outcastes?
(page 242)
2. “The Education of a Brahmin”—According to Xuan Zang, what sorts of knowledge is considered
necessary for a Brahmin? What is distinctive or unique about the education of a Brahmin? What is the
highest position or honor that can be achieved by a Brahmin? Is the emphasis upon involvement in the
world or disengagement? What might Confucius say about such an education and its goals? (p. 244)
3. “The Islamic Conquest of India”—Does the response to Ala-ud-din’s policy have a “modern” sound?
Why or why not? What are the possible reasons Ala-ud-din’s restrictions were opposed by so many? Did
the punishments given violators achieve the desired result? Was the acceptance of “in-house” drinking a
tactical retreat by the ruler? Could it have been his real target from the beginning? Why or why not?
(page 249)
4. “Untouchables in South India”—What are some examples of Indian ideas about, and treatment of, the
untouchables cited in this excerpt? Do you think Barbosa’s view is accurate? Why or why not? Was there
anything similar elsewhere during that era, such as in Europe, the Middle East, China and Japan, Africa,
the Americas, or were the Indian outcastes unique? (p. 251)
5. “The Education of a Courtesan”—According to the mother’s comments in the passage, what skills and
abilities should a courtesan master? What should she avoid? Are the mother’s ambitions for and
subsequent complaints about her daughter unique to India in the seventh century, or are they more
universal? Given the time and place, who was the wiser and more realistic, the mother or the daughter?
(p. 256)
6. “The Kingdom of Angkor”—According to the excerpt, what role did religion appear to play in
thirteenth century Angkor? Is there anything unique about the king and his relationship with his advisors?
What are the products produced in Angkor, and what do they obtain in trade? Does the report by Chau Jukua, a Chinese, seem to be accurate and comprehensive? Why or why not? (p. 259)
7. “The Legendary Grandeur of Majapahit”—What does the excerpt from the Nagarkertagama suggest
about the relations between Majapahit and its neighbors? Which religious tradition is dominant in the epic
poem? Why? Written in the fourteenth century, does the poem appear to be an accurate account of the
time and place? Why or why not? (p. 260)
STUDENT RESEARCH AND PROJECT TOPICS
1. Have students examine the geographic setting of India, Southeast Asia, and adjacent regions, such as
China, to better comprehend the possibilities for trade, military and religious interactions.
2. Ask students to compare the origins, nature and fates of the Mauryan, Kushan and Gupta regimes with
those of the Ghazni, Delhi Sultanate and other later Islamic regimes in India.
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3. Have students explore the careers of Fa Xian and Xuan Zang, including their travels, the impact that
Indian society had upon them, the differences, if any, between them and their two eras, and the
consequences of their travels upon Chinese society.
4. Invite students to explore the varying presumptions and belief patterns of the Theravada and Mahayana
Buddhist sects, perhaps having a discussion between advocates for each.
5. Have students examine the “geopolitical” impact of religious movements and ideologies, and the later
evolution of their views and followings, in the “Greater South Asian” region extending from Persia
through the Southeast Asian islands. If they include Sikhs, Jains, Parsees (and perhaps even Portuguese
Christians), the process could become still more challenging. Economic and political factors could also
be added to the discussion.
6. Suggest that students compare and contrast the impacts–religious, cultural, artistic, and others–of
Hinduism and Buddhism on the societies of South and also of South East Asia.
7. Ask students to examine how, and to what degree, the various macro-historical trends in trade, religion,
or military patterns influenced the everyday lives of people (genders, classes/castes, etc.) in India and
Southeast Asia at different points in time.
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