Chapter 15 :

Angkor

Southeast Asian Khmer kingdom (889-1432) centered on the temple cities of Angkor Thorn and Angkor Wat.

Axum

African kingdom centered in Ethiopia that became an early and lasting center of Coptic Christianity. Did not fall to the expanding realm of Islam.

Bhakti movement

Indian movement that attempted to transcend the differences between Hinduism and Islam. Started as a cult of love and devotion that emerged in India during the 12th century.

Buzurg

Tenth-century sea master from Siraf, a bustling port on the Persian Gulf coast. Compiled 136 stories/tall tales into his Book of the Wonders of India, providing insights into maritime trade during the era.

Caste system

India's social hierarchy that accommodated social changes brought by trade and economic development. Extended its geographic reach in the postclassical era.

Chola kingdom

Deep Southern Indian Hindu kingdom (850-1267), a tightly centralized state that dominated sea trade. Conquered Ceylon and parts of Southeast Asia. Ruled the Coromandel coast.

Dhows

Indian, Persian, and Arab ships, one hundred to four hundred tons, that sailed and traded throughout the Indian Ocean basin.

Emporia and warehouses

Places where merchants from East Africa or Persia exchanged their cargoes at Cambay, Calicut, or Quilon for goods to take back. Also where merchants from China and East Asia ended up at these Indian ports.

Funan

The state most affected by India, located in the lower reaches of the Mekong River and encompassing modern Cambodia and Vietnam. Dominated trade at the Isthmus of Era on the Malay peninsula. Adapted Indian traditions and called rulers Raja. Ended in the 6th century.

Guru Kabir

Blind weaver who became the most important teacher in the bhakti movement, seeking to harmonize Hinduism and Islam.

Harsha

King who temporarily restored unified rule to most of North India and sought to revive imperial authority. Known for his piety, liberality, and scholarship. Assassinated and his kingdom fell.

Junks

Large Chinese and Southeast Asian ships that sailed the Indian Ocean after the naval and commercial expansion of the Song Dynasty. Could carry 1000 tons of cargo.

Mahmud of Ghazni

Leader of the Turks in Afghanistan who mounted 17 raiding expeditions into India. Destroyed the great Somnath Hindu Temple of Gujarat, killing more than fifty thousand people. Did not encourage Indians to convert to Islam.

Majapahit

Southeast Asian kingdom (1293-1520) centered on the island of Java.

Melaka

Southeast Asian kingdom that was predominantly Islamic. Started as a lair for pirates near modern Singapore but developed into a legitimate state with a powerful navy that expanded mosque communities in Southeast Asia.

Ramanuja

Brahmin scholar and devotee of Vishnu who challenged Shankara's insistence on logic. Believed that personal union with a deity was more important than intellectual understanding of ultimate reality.

Shankara

Brahmin philosopher and devotee of Shiva who sought to harmonize Hindu teachings. Mistrusted emotional services and believed the physical world was an illusion.

Shiva

Hindu god associated with both fertility and destruction.

Sind

The Indus River valley in Northwestern India, which was conquered and added into the Umayyad Empire. Stood on the fringe of the Islamic world and housed a diverse population.

Singosari

Island kingdom that dominated Southeast Asia along with Angkor and Majapahit after the decline of the Srivijaya kingdom.

Srivijaya

Island-based Southeast Asian kingdom (670-1025) based on the island of Sumatra, which used a powerful navy to dominate trade.

Sufis

Islamic mystics who placed more emphasis on emotion and devotion than on strict adherence to rules.

Sultanate of Delhi

Islamic state established by Mahmud's successors after they had conquered North India and the Hindu kingdoms. Built mosques and shrines and conducted raids on the Deccan region but did not eliminate Hindus.

Vijayanagar kingdom

Southern Indian kingdom (1336-1565) known as the "city of victory" that dominated much of southern India. Based in Deccan and owed its origins to the sultanate of Delhi.

Vishnu

Hindu god, preserver of the world, often incarnated as Krishna.