WHAP 1.3 Developments in South and Southeast Asia

south asia

south asia

india, pakistan, bangladesh

southeast asia

thailand, laos, malaysia, philippines, indonesia, vietnam, cambodia, sri lanka

550

gupta empire collapses; india is rarely politically unified following the collapse

hinduism

provided SOME unity after gupta falls

ghurids

only ruled part of india for a few decades

chola

only unified southern tip

who invaded and introduced islam to india?

ghurids (collapsed not long after)

delhi sultanate

1206-1526; solidifies islam in north india; some hindus choose to convert to islam; lacked chinese bureaucracy (local kingdoms exert power); difficult to impose policies; very unstable; 19/35 sultans assassinated; eventually conquered in 1526

who conquered the delhi sultanate?

mughals (mongol descendants)

why did some hindus oppose/resent islam during the delhi sultanate?

they viewed the spread of islam as a foreign threat; people also didn't like the jizya tax

chola dynasty

850-1267; southern india; sea masters; decentralized empire

vijayanagar empire

1336-1565; established by two brothers (harihara and bukka)

harihara and bukka

two brothers sent by delhi sultanate to expand rule in the south; converted from hinduism to islam (to climb social ladder); eventually returned to hinduism and established their own (hindu) kingdom

differences between islam and hinduism

hindu is polytheistic while islam is monotheistic; hindu has a caste system while islam believes in equality for all; hindu encourages temples/artwork while islam discourages images of muhammad; hindu has multiple holy text while islam only has the qu'ran

proselytization in india

islam seeked many converts in india since many muslim merchants married and had kids; many hindus and buddhists converted willingly in order to improve social status (low caste hindus); india is 1/4 muslim by 1500

why were buddhists the majority of converts in india?

buddhism/buddhist areas were very disorganized due to corruption and raids; it eventually became a minority in its home country

caste system

"strongest historical continuity"; maintained stability for decentralized land; low caste hindus are unable to escape social status; gender norms stay the same; muslim merchants + migrants created their own parallel caste system

arab scholars

spread indian math and astronomy across dar al-islam

arabic numerals

developed side-by-side with hindus

hinduism and islam syncretism

architecture: hindu art + islamic geometric designs (e.g. qutub minar); hindu + arabic + farsi combined to form a syncretic language, urdu, that is currently the official language of pakistan

qutub minar

islamic mosque built on top of hindu temple

bhakti movement

12th century hindu (mystical) movement - "mystical" as in "emotion"; discouraged studying texts/rituals; be attached to a single deity; no discrimination against low caste hindus or women; appeals to those outside of traditional hindu

southeast asia trade

controls trade between south and east asia; lots of gold, silver, metals, goods, textiles, spices, etc.; part of silk road

srivijaya empire (sumatra)

670-1025; hindu kingdom; charged fees for ships traveling between india and china

majapahit empire (java)

1293-1520; buddhist kingdom; 98 tributaries; controlled and taxed sea routes

sinhala dynasties (sri lanka)

700 BC - 1800s; center of buddhist study (monasteries and nunneries thrive); buddhist monks serve as advisors to monarch; invasiors from india and conflict between monarch/priests weaken kingdoms

khmer empire (cambodia)

802-1431; irrigation and drought system (leads to economy prosperity due to easier rice harvesting) that reduced the impact of monsoon winds; angkor wat

angkor wat

hindu/buddhist temple in cambodia

some of the first muslims were...

local merchants who converted to have better relations with islamic merchants; mostly in urban areas; largest muslim population is in indonesia today

sufi missionaries

tolerated local faiths/made them more appealling