Today, as we make a brief overview of the world, we find that the Hindu
tradition and way of life is, in general, an Indian phenomenon. Mention
of the word Hindu automatically brings to mind the religion and
civilization confined to the borders of modern India. However, it was
not too long ago that Hindu civilization was the dominant culture of
most of South East Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Today
the only reminders of this ancient legacy can be found in the
Indonesian island of Bali and amongst the many ancient ruins scattered
across this part of the globe. From Vietnam’s My Son Shiva Temples,
Philippines ancient Sanskrit “Laguna Copperplate Inscription” and
Hindu gold discoveries, Laos’ Wat Phou Hindu Temple, Vietnam’s Hindu
Cham Balamon (Brahmin) peoples, the Ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya it
is obvious that the imprint of Hindu/Vedic civilization on the region
runs deep.
Cambodia’s
Angkor Wat is famously the world’s largest Hindu temple and recent
evidence shows that it is much more extensive than previously believed.
The same can be said regarding the widespread influence of Hinduism. Its
historic footprint is much larger and widespread than most believe and
the influence of Hinduism is impacting us all to this very day.
PHILIPPINES
A
case in point can be made when we look at the Philippines. Today the
Philippines are predominantly Christian. Yet upon a closer look we find
some startling evidences of Hindu culture still flourishing amongst the
Filipinos. Most Filipinos themselves have forgotten their ancient
history and are unfamiliar with their connections to India.
However these connections are obvious once highlighted.
According
to the work of the Vatican Scholar Father Josemaria S. Luengo, PhD, in
“A History of the Philippines: A Focus on the Christianization of Bohol
(1521-1991)”, the Philippines were ruled over by Hindu Kings from the
year 638 AD till 1565 AD with a brief period of Buddhist rule from 1389 –
1424 AD.(i)
Therefore it is not surprising to find many common features between the Indian and Filipino cultures and languages.
Therefore it is not surprising to find many common features between the Indian and Filipino cultures and languages.
The
ancient Filipino alphabet originated from India. Its script is an
offshoot of the Vatteluttu alphabet officially classified as a member of
the Southern Brahmic language family.
(ii) The Brahmic family refers to
writing styles descended from the Brāhmī script dated to India’s Mauryan
period of 322 BC – 188BC. Brahmi may actually be much more ancient.
Orissa’s Vikramkhol inscriptions, dated 3000 BC, are a hybrid of Brahmi
and the Mohenjodaro script.
(iii) Brahmi’s
widespread use throughout Asia, in areas that included Mongolia, Tibet,
South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Manchuria is many times attributed to
Buddhist monks. However the evidence suggests that Sanskrit based
languages were indigenous to all these regions. We find that the words
used for basic social structural and foundational aspects of society are
many times pure Sanskrit.
(iv) This is the case with the Philippines as
well.
Many words in the Filipino languages are indeed pure Sanskrit. Among such words are:
- Budhi: conscience
- Dukha: one who suffers
- Guro: teacher
- Sampalataya: faith, Sanskrit – sampratyaya
- Mukha: face
- Laho: eclipse, Sanskrit – rahu
- Kalma: fate
- Damla: Dharma
- Mantala: mantra
- Upaya: power
- Lupa: face
- Salbe: sarva
- Galura: Garuda
- Lakshmana: admiral
- Seurga: heaven
- Neraka: hell
- Tamad: lazy
- Agama: religion and
- Naga: serpent
The
chiefs of many Philippine islands were called Rajas, as in the Filipino
King Raja Siaui of Butuan encountered by the crew on Magellen’s famous
voyage.
(v) To this day teachers are called Guro and the traditional
martial art of the Philippines is called Kali and is widely recognized
as an Indian rooted tradition.
The
Moros of the Sulu archipelago would often go into battle dressed like
Kali the Goddess of Destruction.
(vi) Such a tribal based tradition
bespeaks of a very deep indigenous Filipino Hindu based culture. The
Hindu concept of Karma is understood culturally and recognized as a fact
by Filipinos. The Philippines even have their own version of the
Ramayana known as “Raja Mangandiri”. In 1953 the Philippine Government
instituted a medal of honor called the “Order of Sikatuna-Raja”
(Commander Laureate).
The 1989 discovery of the “Laguna Copperplate Inscription” dated
to 900 AD is in a form of Kavi written in the Sanskrit language. It
begins with the Vedic calendar day of Saka-year 822; the month of
March-April, 4th day of the dark half of the moon. swasti shaka
warshatita 822 waisakha masa ding jyotisha, chaturthi krishnapaksha’.
This
discovery has pushed back Philippine history by 621 years and it gives
the Philippines a documented existence among the other ancient kingdoms
of the world.
The
repeated discoveries of Vedic Golden ornaments and Hindu deities also
testify to the Indic influences on Filipino culture. Golden images of
Garuda, known as Sulu Galura the eagle-mount of Vishnu, have been found
in the Philippine island of Palawan. A 4 lb, 1 foot-high, gold Hindu
deity of a goddess, now resting in the Field Museum of Natural History
in Chicago, IL, USA, was discovered on the island of Mindanao, in 1917.
Ancient examples of Hindu Filipino craftsmanship are stored in the
Philippine Central Bank (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas BSP). Golden Sri
Yantras, Mt Meru replicas and Vedic Mandalas are among some of the
artifacts as revealed in Laszlo Legeza’s “Tantric elements in
pre-Hispanic Philippine Gold Art,” Arts of Asia, Jul-Aug 1988
VIETNAM
Moving
on to Vietnam, we once again find an incredibly rich Hindu heritage
still existing to this day. Ancient Vietnam was home to a vibrant Hindu
kingdom known as Champa. Today their descendants, the Cham people
continue to exist but in two communities, the Cham Balamon and the Cham
Bani.
The
Balamon (Vietnamese for Brahman) are Hindus to this day and the Bani
are Muslim. Muslim or Cham Bani constitute about 80-85% of the Cham, and
Hindu or Balamon constitutes about 15-20%. It is claimed that the
Balamon Hindu Cham people of Vietnam consist of 70% Kshatriyas
(pronounced in Vietnamese as “Satrias”)
Vietnam
has a very ancient Hindu past. The first Cham king mentioned in ancient
inscriptions is named Bhadravarman. He reigned from 349 to 361 A.D. at
My Son. The capital at the time of Bhadravarman was the citadel of
Simhapura or “Lion City”. We know that India was important to the Cham
because they named the five regions of their Kingdom after historic
places in India. Historic Champa was divided into the following five
areas:
- Indrapura: The city of Indrapura is now called Dong Duong.
- Amaravati: present-day Quảng Nam
- Vijaya: The city of Vijaya is nowcalled Cha Ban.
- Kauthara: The city of Kauthara isnow called Nha Trang.
- Panduranga: The city ofPanduranga is now called PhanPanduranga and was the last of the Cham territories to be annexed by the Sino-Vietnamese.
LAOS
Wat
Xieng Thong is one of the most important temples in the country of Laos
and it is covered with gold carvings with scenes from the Ramayana.
Laos is another forgotten chapter in the history of Hindu SE Asia. Like
the Philippines, Laos has its own version of the Ramayana. It is called
Phra Lak Phra La. The title comes from the Lao names for Lakshmana and
Rama.
INDONESIA
Modern Indonesia, sometimes called Nusantara, is yet another ancient center of Hindu culture and civilization.
Today
only the island of Bali remains officially Hindu in identity. As
Hinduism declined throughout Indonesia, the Balinese responded in an
effective manner. With great foresight, Bali’s Hindu leadership
redesigned the temple system so that each village would have its own
temples. Thus a closer bond between the people and their Hindu gods was
forged. This was a bond unlike that of any other Hindu Kingdom and it
was a bond Islam would find difficult to sever. Thus in Bali, the world
has a sample of the Indonesian Hinduism of the past. It is a microcosm
of a flourishing Hindu world that has been long forgotten.
For
thousands of years high advanced civilizations were present on the
Indonesian archipelago. Wealthy and prosperous, ancient Indonesian
Hindus traveled and traded far and wide. Over two thousand years ago the
gold from Hindu Sumatra reached as far west as Rome. The Indian Ocean
trade controlled by the Hindus stretched from the shores of East Africa
to the islands of Japan.
“Between
the fifth and tenth centuries AD, the Vijaynagaram and Kalinga kingdoms
of Southern and Eastern India had established their rules over Malaya,
Sumatra and Western Java. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands then served as
an important midway for trade between the Indian peninsula and these kingdoms, as also with China.”
The naval expertise and experience of the ancient Hindu mariners was incredible.
“A
fourteenth century description of an Indian ship credits it with a
carrying capacity of over 700 people giving a fair idea of both ship
building skills and maritime ability of seamen who could successfully
man such large vessels.
(vii)
Indonesia’s
Majapahit Empire was the last of the major Hindu empires of the Malay
Archipelago and is considered one of the greatest states in Indonesian
history. It was based in eastern Java from 1293 AD to around 1500 AD.
Its greatest King was named Hayam Wuruk. He was also known as
Rajasanagara and he ruled Majapahit in AD 1350–1389. During his period,
Majapahit Empire reached its zenith with the help of Hayam Wuruk’s Prime
Minister, Gajah Mada.
Many
other Hindu Kingdoms rose and fell. Despite sharing a common heritage,
Indonesia’s ancient Hindus competed and battled each other. Often at war
with one another, trade routes and commodities were fiercely contended.
As Islamic merchants from Gujarat and Arabia began to dominate the
trade in the Eastern seas, the Hindu kingdoms began to lose their
ability to compete.
The
Indonesian Hindu Kingdom of Wak Wak decided to do something in order to
counter the threat posed by the expansion of Islam. Wak Wak responded
in a manner that is no doubt an extraordinary effort rare in the annals
of Hindu history. Severely challenged by the loss of the East African
trade routes the Kingdom of Wak Wak responded by assembling an immense
naval fleet. They sailed across the Indian Ocean for one year and
attacked several important East African trading ports in an effort to
regain control of the lucrative African trade.
“Ibn
Lakis has imparted to me some extraordinary pieces of information
concerning them. It is thus that in 334 AH (945-6 CE) they came upon
Qanbalu in a thousand ships and fought them with the utmost vigor,
without however achieving their end, as Qanbalu is surrounded by a
strong defensive wall around which stretches the water-filled estuary of
the sea, so that Qanbalu is at the center of this estuary, like a
fortified citadel.”- Kitab aja’ib al-Hind of Buzurg ibn Shahriyar (955
CE)
Unfortunately
for the people of Wak Wak, this effort, as reported on above by Arabic
historians, was none too successful and the Kingdom collapsed shortly
thereafter.
Another Hindu Kingdom and rival of Wak Wak, was known as
Zabag or Suvarnadwip. Zabag faced the same challenges and threats as Wak
Wak. The loss of the African trade was crippling their Kingdom as well.
The response of Zabag was to send ambassadors to India and Tibet and
make grants for temples there.
(viii)
Zabag
attempted to counter the growing threat of Islamic domination of the
regional trade by building alliances with the Hindu and Buddhist Kings
of India and Tibet. In this regard it is said that some of these
Javanese kings personally traveled to India for both political and
spiritual purposes.
As
we look at all the evidence regarding Hinduism in South East Asia, the
picture that emerges is one of fluid interactions with the wide spread
growth of extremely advanced and flourishing civilizations. The impact
of this dynamic past is felt even today.
THE PRESENT
Currently outside of Bali, the condition of Hinduism in South East Asia
is but a shadow of its former glory. Yet still the influence of
Indonesia’s Hindu past is profound. As an example, the impact and
history of the Hindu Majapahit era on Indonesian consciousness is at the
heart of the modern Indonesian experience.
Indonesian
Nationalists and Freedom Fighters, have frequently invoked the
Majapahit Empire. Many of modern Indonesian national symbols are based
on Hindu elements from the Majapahit era.
The Indonesian national flag
“Red and White” is called “Dwiwarna” (“The bicolor”), derived from
Majapahit royal color. The Indonesian Navy flag of red and white stripes
also has Majapahit origin. The Indonesian coat of arms, Garuda
Pancasila, is also derived from Javanese Hindu elements. Indonesia’s
National airline is named Garuda Airlines in keeping with the commitment
to Hindu emblems and symbology.
Recognizing
their ancient links with Mother India, the National leadership choose
Indonesia to be the name for their new Nation over the native name of
Nusantara (Entire Islands.)
The modern capital of Indonesia, Jakarta
features a magnificent sculpture of Partha Sarathi Krishna and Arjuna on
the battlefield of the Mahabharat War. This is a testament to the
immense popularity and respect for Hindu culture that can be found
amongst the people of Indonesia.
Hindu revival movements are also taking place in Indonesia. Parisada
Hindu Dharma Indonesia was started in 1960 by D.R. Ida Bagus Mantra and
led by Gedong Bagus Oka. According to the Parisada Hindu Dharma
Indonesia the Indonesian Hindu population is closer to 18 million rather
than the 6 million claimed by the Government.
According to an article in Hinduism Today magazine it is Java rather than Bali that is the home to most of the Nation’s Hindus.
“Most
recently, a back-to-Hinduism movement which first emerged in Java in
the 1960s has gathered new momentum in the turmoil of Indonesia’s
economic and political crisis. Some of its members are prophesying that a
natural cataclysm or final battle is at hand, in which Islam will be
swept from the island and Hindu civilization restored to its past glory.
Or as the Jayabaya prophesies put it, the time “when iron wagons drive
without horses and ships sail through the sky.”
The
movement in Java is part of a wider national phenomenon of reconversion
to Hinduism. In part, this is a reflection of the rapid Islamization of
Indonesian society in recent decades, and especially after the fall of
Suharto in 1998, which has made it difficult for many Javanese to carry
on their Hindu traditions and retain a nominal Muslim identity. As a
result, the Hindu community of Java is now the largest in Indonesia.”
Vietnam’s
Hindus have yet to receive official recognition for their government
but major efforts have been made to highlight the history and art of the
Cham. The ancient Shiva temples of My Son have been selected by UNESCO
as a world heritage listed site.
My Son’s Hindu ruins are recognized as
an example displaying the evolution and change in culture, and as a
foremost evidence of an Asian civilization which is now extinct. The
Cham Museum in Danang houses one of the world’s greatest collections of
South East Asian Hindu art.
Annual
Cham festivals such as the Hindu Cham Kate festival are held and Cham
cultural displays are frequently subsidized by the Vietnamese
government. Some expatriate Cham communities are also maintaining and
continuing to practice their traditions and culture. A Cham youth
magazine published in California is named Vijaya in honor of the ancient
Champa capital of the same name.
THE FUTURE
The
future of Hinduism in South East Asia is not clear. Currently many
aspects of Hindu culture in the region are at best protected ruins,
visited by tourists and researchers. Folk traditions and customs are
rapidly becoming nothing more than entertainment. Many young people are
turning away from the past and are out of touch with their own roots and heritage. As knowledge is lost and the wisdom of the ancients labeled as superstition, it is humanity itself that suffers.
Buried
within this very same wisdom of the ancients are many solutions and
remedies to our modern traumas and tragedies. It is imperative to
discover ways to reinforce humanity’s connection to the past.
Perhaps
with the rise of the Indian middle class, Hindu pilgrims and tourists
can begin to facilitate and empower a new awakening of Hindu culture in
the region. India’s new economic might is a great asset that could be
dovetailed towards the restoration and revival of Hinduism amongst the
countries of South East Asia. Efforts such as education, multi-media and
cultural tourism can go a long way towards re-awakening the dormant
Hindu culture of the region.
The
world has a great boon in Hinduism. It is the world’s largest and
continuous cultural paradigm. Its very longevity is a testament to its
sustainability. Its history is a hopeful reminder of a time when
humanity actually lived in balance with itself, with Nature and with the
Gods.
It is a reminder that humanity is truly capable of greatness
built on compassion and a sense of genuine gratitude. Looking back at
the dynamic Hindu Kingdoms of yesteryear we see human civilization at
its best. If Nature in all her bounty harnessed by mankind’s tremendous
genius ever reached its fullest potential, surely it was in the
magnificent Hindu kingdoms of the ancient world. These Hindu
civilizations represent much more than mere histories.
They are testaments to the fact that humanity truly is capable of creating Heaven right here on Earth.
~ Bhaktivejanyana Swami
References:
(i) A History of the Philippines: A Focus on the Christianization of
Bohol (1521-1991), Josemaria S. Luengo, Ph.D Copiague, NY: Mater Dei
Publications, Tubigon, Bohol, Oct 1991, 2nd Ed, Nov 1992, IMPRIMATUR,
NIHIL OBSTAT, CENSOR LIBRORUM
(ii) The Dravidian Languages. Steever, Sanford B. (1998). London; New York: Routledge
(iii) History of Library Development B. D. Panda 1992 Anmol Publications
(iv) El Sanscrito en la lengua Tagalog – T H Pardo de Tavera, Paris 1887
(v) First Voyage Around the World (1519-1522)” by Antonio Pigafetta in Gregorio F. Zaide, Documentary Sources of Philippine History. Manila: National Bookstore, 1990
(vi) History of Filipino Martial Arts Center for Southeast Asian Studies Northern Illinois University
(vii) Maritime History Of India
(viii) Sailing the Black Current: Secret History of Ancient Philippine Argonauts in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Beyond Paul Kekai Manansala BookSurge Publishing 2007
(ii) The Dravidian Languages. Steever, Sanford B. (1998). London; New York: Routledge
(iii) History of Library Development B. D. Panda 1992 Anmol Publications
(iv) El Sanscrito en la lengua Tagalog – T H Pardo de Tavera, Paris 1887
(v) First Voyage Around the World (1519-1522)” by Antonio Pigafetta in Gregorio F. Zaide, Documentary Sources of Philippine History. Manila: National Bookstore, 1990
(vi) History of Filipino Martial Arts Center for Southeast Asian Studies Northern Illinois University
(vii) Maritime History Of India
(viii) Sailing the Black Current: Secret History of Ancient Philippine Argonauts in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Beyond Paul Kekai Manansala BookSurge Publishing 2007
http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/india/global-influence-of-hinduism/hindu-civilizations-south-east-asia/
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