Chapter 15: India and the Indian Ocean Basin

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Chapter 15: India and the Indian Ocean Basin.

Harsha (r. 606–648 C.E.)

North Indian ruler who temporarily restored unified rule; religiously tolerant Buddhist; patron of the arts; wrote three plays; assassinated with no successor able to retain control.

Sind (northwest India)

Region conquered by Arabs in 711 C.E.; fringe of the Islamic world; heterodox population; later under Abbasid influence until 1258 C.E.

Introduction of Islam to Northern India

Arabs conquered Sind in 711 C.E.; Islam introduced to northern Indian regions and integrated into the broader Islamic world.

Merchants and Islam

Arabic trade with India predates Islam; dominated India–west trade to the fifteenth century; established local trader communities in India (notably Cambay).

Mahmud of Ghazni

Turkish leader in Afghanistan who raided India (1001–1027 C.E.), plundering Hindu and Buddhist temples; famous for Somnath Temple raid in 1025 C.E.

The Sultanate of Delhi

Consolidated Mahmud’s raiding territory; capital at Delhi; ruled northern India from 1206–1526 C.E.; weak administrative structure and reliance on Hindu kings; many sultans were assassinated (19 of 35).

Chola kingdom

Maritime power in southern India (850–1267 C.E.); not highly centralized but influential in Indian Ocean trade.

Vijayanagar (Kingdom of Vijayanagar)

Southern Indian kingdom (mid‑14th century to 1565 C.E.) in the Northern Deccan; initially supported by the Delhi sultanate; rulers renounced Islam in 1336 C.E. and maintained relations with the sultanate.

Monsoon agriculture

Agriculture driven by seasonal monsoons: spring/summer rains from the southwest and fall/winter dry season from the northeast; irrigation projects (reservoirs, canals, tunnels) were crucial.

The Trading World of the Indian Ocean Basin

The extensive Indian Ocean trade network that connected India with Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia from 600–1600 C.E.

Population growth in India

Topic covering population dynamics in medieval India (600–1600 C.E.).

Trade and economic development in southern India

Regional economies were largely self-sufficient; traded iron, copper, salt, pepper; profited from northern political instability.

Temples and society

Temples served as centers for irrigation coordination, landholding administration, education, and banking services.

Cross-cultural trade in the Indian Ocean Basin

Increased trade with larger ships (dhows, junks); emporia as cosmopolitan trade hubs; development of specialized products (cotton, high‑carbon steel).

Kingdom of Axum

Trade-driven state in northern Ethiopia; adopted Christianity; displaced Kush as Egyptian link to the south; expanded territory until late sixth century; destruction of Kushan capital Meroë (ca. 360 C.E.).

Challenges to caste and society

Migrations, growth of Islam, urbanization, and economic development; development of jati (subcastes) and guilds; expansion of the caste system from north to south; promoted by temples and education.

Jainism and Buddhism

Decline in followers; Buddhism displaced by Turkish invasions destroying holy sites; Nalanda library destroyed in 1196 C.E.; thousands of monks exiled; Hindu and Islamic traditions persisted.

Increasing popularity of Hinduism

Growth of devotional cults toward Vishnu and Shiva; promise of salvation; strong in southern India with expansion to the north.

Hinduism and philosophy: Shankara

Ninth‑century Brahmin philosopher and devotee of Shiva who synthesized Hindu writings in Platonic form and emphasized rigorous logical analysis.

Ramanuja

Eleventh–twelfth century Brahmin philosopher who challenged Shankara’s emphasis on logic and helped establish philosophical foundations of contemporary Hinduism.

Conversion to Islam

By 1500 C.E., about 25 million converts; offered potential social advancement for lower‑caste Hindus, though actual improvement was rarely achieved.

Sufis

Islamic missionaries who used personal, emotional, devotional approaches and often showed flexibility regarding local customs.

The Bhakti Movement

12th‑century southern Hindu movement that spread north; guru Kabir taught that Shiva, Vishnu, and Allah are manifestations of one deity; mixed results in practice.

Kabir

Influential Bhakti guru (1440–1518 C.E.) who preached unity of Hindu and Islamic deities; part of the movement’s contemporaries.

Indian influence in Southeast Asia

Indian ideas and traditions (kingship, Hinduism, Buddhism, literature) influenced Southeast Asia; caste system was less influential there.

Funan

Lower Mekong region; major Southeast Asian polity from the first to the sixth century C.E.

Srivijaya

Maritime kingdom centered in Sumatra; active from 670–1025 C.E.; dominated trade in the Malay world.

Angkor

Cambodian region beginning in the ninth century; features magnificent religious city complexes; abandoned around 1431 C.E.

The arrival of Islam in Southeast Asia

Early Muslim traders and Sufi activity led to many conversions; many communities retained Hindu or Buddhist elements.

Melaka (Malacca)

Founded in the late fourteenth century by a rebellious Sumatra prince; dominated maritime trade routes; ruling class converted to Islam by the mid‑fifteenth century.