1.3 Developments in South & Southeast Asia

What was the Delhi Sultanate?

The Muslim empire established by Turkic invaders in 1206 that ruled northern India. Its rulers struggled to impose Islam — Hinduism was too entrenched, so Islam stayed a minority religion.

What were the Rajput kingdoms?

A collection of rival, warring Hindu kingdoms in northern India that predated Muslim rule. Some were conquered; others stayed independent as pockets of resistance.

How was the Vijayanagara Empire founded?

Muslim sultans sent two brothers south to extend Delhi's rule. They had been born Hindu and converted to Islam — but once out from under their overlords they returned to Hinduism and founded a rival Hindu empire in southern India.

Why is Hinduism called an ethnic religion?

Because it is tightly bound to a particular people and a particular place. Ethnic religions generally do not spread well.

Why is Buddhism called a universalizing religion?

Because it can be planted in any culture without overturning that culture — which is why it spread across Asia while Hinduism largely did not.

What is the caste system?

A roughly five-tiered social structure that gave India cultural unity. Movement upward during your lifetime was generally not possible.

What was the Bhakti movement?

A form of Hinduism encouraging emotional devotion to one particular god in the Hindu pantheon. It rejected the social hierarchy and welcomed people regardless of status — including women.

What did the Bhakti movement and Sufism have in common?

Both were mystical, both emphasized direct personal spiritual experience, both rejected the elaborate requirements of religious elites, and both opened access to all people. That is why both spread.

What is Buddhist monasticism, and how did it hurt Buddhism in South Asia?

Practice had narrowed so that the only people seeking nirvana were monks withdrawn into monasteries. Buddhism became exclusive and declined in the land of its birth.

What made Srivijaya powerful?

Control of the Strait of Malacca — the best route for merchants moving through the Indian Ocean. Srivijaya rulers grew rich taxing ships passing through. A sea-based state on Sumatra.

What made Majapahit powerful?

Based on Java, it maintained power through a tributary system among regional states, requiring goods and services from them. Also sea-based.

What made the Khmer Empire powerful?

Complex irrigation and drainage near the Mekong River allowed several rice harvests a year. A land-based state — its wealth came from agriculture, not the sea. Capital at Angkor Thom, with Angkor Wat nearby.

What does Angkor show about Southeast Asia?

Khmer rulers were Hindu and later became Buddhist — and they added Buddhist artwork without destroying the Hindu artwork. A layered record of Indian cultural influence.

What were the Sinhala dynasties and the Sukhothai kingdom?

Sinhala → Sri Lanka, a land-based center of Buddhist study with reservoirs and canals. Sukhothai → in what is now Thailand; the Thais invaded and forced out the Khmer in 1431.

What is Urdu?

A language that developed among South Asian Muslims, blending the grammar of Hindi with vocabulary from Arabic and Farsi. Today it is the official language of Pakistan.

South Asia Governments

-Vijayanagara Empire (Southern India)

-Rajput Kingdoms (North India)

-Delhi Sultanate

Southeast Asia Governments

-Srivijaya Empire (Sumatra)

-Majahapit Kingdom (Java)

-Sinhala Dynasties (Sri Lanka)

-Khmer Empire (Cambodia)

-Sukhothai Kingdom (Thailand)

Proselytize

To actively seek converts (Islam)