Author: Ratnadeep Banerji
Publication: Organiser
Date: August 31, 2008
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=252&page=14
Sanskrit influence in Vietnam
Cambodia or Kambodia is veritably the English
transliteration of the French name Kambodge implying for Sanskrit Kamboja.
The Funan kingdom existed in the 1st century BC as a pre-Angkor Indianised
Khmer kingdom located around the Mekong Delta with its capital at Vyadhapura.
Funanese culture was a blend of native beliefs and Indian ideas with Sanskrit
as the court language. Funanese advocated Hinduism till the advent of Buddhism
in the fifth century AD. Thus Funanese were the first in Cambodia to usher
in Hinduism.
In ancient Sanskrit literature, there are
references of Kambojas located in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent.
The Kamboja transmigration from north-west India is a fascinating chapter
recognised by most of the historians.
The Khmer empire in the Indochina archipelago
was founded by Jayavarman-the-second of the Kambojas which went on to become
the largest empire of south-east Asia. He had earlier been a resident at the
court of Sailendra in Java and towed away the Hindu culture to Cambodia. In
802 AD he declared himself Chakravartin, commemorating a Hindu ritual taken
from the Hindu tradition. He founded his new capital and named it Hariharalaya
after the name Harihara, a Hindu deity prominent in pre-Angkorian Cambodia
having Hari and Vishnu on opposite sides.
His successors went on to build several Hindu
temples. Suryavarman the second went on to make what remains the largest temple
complex in the world at Angkor Wat in the early 12th century AD.
Cambodia has one of the only two Brahma temples
in the world. The empire's official religions included Hinduism besides Mahayana
Buddhism till the advent of Theravada Buddhism in the 13th century.
Myanmar erstwhile Burma
A paltry 2 per cent of the Burmese population
amounting to 240,000 accounts for Hindus that too happen to be Burmese Indians.
But Hinduism held a major sway over Burmese history and thereupon its literature.
Yama Zatdaw is Burmese rendition of the Ramayana. The dominant ethnic group,
Bamar living mostly in countryside follow Nat worship which has several adaptations
of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The Burmese God Thagyamin, King of the Nats rides
a three-headed elephant is identified with Indra, the king of Hindu Gods.
Burmese Buddhists are devouts of Thuyathadi, counterpart of Saraswati. As
the Goddess of knowledge, She is avidly worshipped by students before examinations.
Some other Gods are as well worshipped by Burmese Buddhists.
Burmese language as such contains plethora
of loanwords from Sanskrit and Pali, many being connected with religion. In
Burmese culture several Hindu traditions are still perceived especially on
the Burmese New Year festival, Thingyan and also during weddings. Hinduism
alongwith Buddhism greatly influenced the royal courts of Burmese monarchs
including their formal royal titles. The coronation ceremonies were also Hindu
in origin. The architecture seen at places like Bagan reflect profound Hindu
influence.
Thailand
The Khmer empire had a strong Hindu lineage.
Thailand's epic Ramkien is based on the Ramayana. The city Ayutthaya, capital
of Ayutthaya province is named in remembrance of Ayodhya, the birthplace of
Rama as in Thai Ramkien. Sadly in 1767 this city which was then among one
of the world's largest cities was razed down by the Burmese army, with only
ruins left that has now been converted into a historical park and accorded
a UNESCO heritage site. Several Brahminical rituals are still in vogue: use
of holy strings and pouring of lustral water from conch shells. The well-known
Erawan shrine has the idol of Phra Phrom, counterpart of Lord Brahma and statues
of Ganesha, Indra and Shiva among other Hindu deities. Interestingly, Garuda
stands insignia for the monarchy.
Vietnam
The kingdom of Champa was initially under
the influence of Chinese culture. But from 4th century onwards when it took
on Funan kingdom, Indian culture steadily kept creeping all throughout. This
can be gauged from the fact that Champa was a confederation of five principalities-
Indrapura, Amaravati, Vijaya, Kauthara and Panduranga each named after a historic
region of India. Sanskrit was accorded a scholarly language and Shaivism became
the state religion; Hinduism too getting a boost. This scenario remained until
the 10th century when Arab maritime trade threw its Islamic mantle over Champa,
then an important hub on the spice route.
From around the 4th century AD, royal temples
started coming up in a valley two kilometers wide, mostly devoted to Shiva
and also some to Vishnu and eventually grew to be one of the most prominent
temple complexes of southeast Asia. My Son bears strong architectural resemblances
with India. It had its own architectural template of that period now denoted
by scholars as My Son E1 named after a particular edifice that stands emblematic
of the birth of Brahma from a lotus issuing from the navel of sleeping Vishnu
and the entire thing placed upon Shiva-linga serving as a pedestal. In 1969,
The Vietnam War with American bombing did havoc to this temple complex. It
has been selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Selected Site
Laos
It used to be a part of Khmer Empire. Phra
Lak Phra Lam is the Laotian adaptation of Ramayana and is very similar to
Ramakien in Thailand.
The Philippines
The chiefs of many Philippine islands were
called Rajas until the advent of the Arabs in 1450. The prevalent script was
derived from Brahmi. The vocabulary found in all Philippine languages bears
a strong bond with Hinduism. Several statues of Hindu Gods and Goddesses were
hidden to prevent their destruction by Arabs and Spaniards. One such four-pound
gold statue of Golden Tara, a Hindu-Malayan goddess was found in 1917 lying
on the bank of Wawa River, projecting from the silt in ravine after a storm
and flood. This 21 carat statue is dated from the period 1200s to early 1300s.
Another gold artifact of Garuda was found at Palawan. Hinduism was deterred
by Javanese missionaries spreading Islam and then kept at bay by the Spaniards
spreading Christianity.
(To be continued)
