South and Southeast Asia: Belief Systems and State Formation around 1200 CE

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the notes on Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and state formation in South and Southeast Asia around 1200 CE.

Hinduism

A polytheistic religion in India with a caste-based social order, aiming to reunite the individual soul with the Brahman through reincarnation.

Brahman

The all-pervasive world soul in Hindu belief; the ultimate goal is to reunite the individual soul with Brahman through cycles of rebirth.

Caste System

A five-tier Hindu social hierarchy with limited mobility; tied to reincarnation and moral actions in previous lives.

Reincarnation

The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth that influences the soul’s progression in Hinduism (and Buddhism).

Bhakti Movement

A Hindu devotional reform encouraging worship of a single god, rejecting caste hierarchy and emphasizing universal spiritual experience.

Buddhism

A religion founded in India that shares concepts like reincarnation but rejects the caste system and emphasizes equality; becomes more exclusive in India by 1200 CE and has broad universalizing potential.

Sufism

A mystical, experience-based branch of Islam that emphasizes direct knowledge of the divine and shares accessibility with the Bhakti movement in its rejection of rigid doctrines.

Islam

Religion introduced to South Asia, becoming the religion of the elite in many Delhi Sultanate-controlled areas; coexists with Hinduism and Buddhism, with Sufism influencing practice.

Delhi Sultanate

Turkic Muslim empire established in Northern India in 1206 CE; Islam becomes prominent, while Hinduism remains deeply entrenched socially and culturally.

Turkic Muslim Invaders

Group responsible for establishing the Delhi Sultanate and bringing Islam to political power in Northern India.

Vijayanagara Empire

A powerful Hindu kingdom in South India (14th century) founded by emissaries who converted to Islam and then discarded that faith to resist Muslim rule.

Hindu emissaries (from Delhi Sultanate)

Envoys who converted to Islam and later helped establish the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire as resistance to Muslim rule.

Majapahit Kingdom

A late 13th-century Java-based empire that was Hindu with Buddhist influences; maintained power via a tributary system.

Khmer Empire

Mainland Southeast Asian Hindu empire that later adopted Buddhism, adding Buddhist statues to Angkor Wat without destroying Hindu elements (syncretism).

Angkor Wat

The renowned Hindu temple built by the Khmer Empire; later Buddhist statuary was added, illustrating religious syncretism.

Sinhala Dynasties

Long-standing Buddhist royal line in Sri Lanka; power sustained by land-based resources.

Sri Vijaya Empire

7th–11th century Buddhist sea-based state centered around the Strait of Malacca, wealth derived from taxing merchant ships.

Strait of Malacca

Strategic maritime strait controlled by Sri Vijaya, generating immense wealth through taxes on ships.

Syncretism

The blending of Hindu and Buddhist elements, as seen in Khmer temple architecture (Angkor Wat) after Buddhist influence was added.

Tributary System

A power arrangement where a dominant state extracts tribute or goods/services from subordinate states (e.g., Majapahit’s control mechanism).

Ethnic Religion

A belief system tightly tied to a specific people/place and not easily spread (e.g., Hinduism in certain regions).

Universalizing Religion

A belief system that can spread to various cultures without overturning them (e.g., Buddhism, Islam).

Monks

Buddhist practitioners who seek Nirvana; by 1200 CE, Buddhist influence in India was increasingly monastic and exclusive.

Nirvana

The ultimate goal in Buddhism; liberation from the cycle of birth and suffering.

Rajput Kingdoms

Rival Hindu kingdoms in Northern India; warring states that acted as pockets of resistance to Muslim rule.