Asia did not adopt the caste system, nor even the dietary habits of the Indians like curry powder or milk products. Politically, none of the supposed Southeast Asia 'colonies' showed any allegiance to India. Economically speaking, the states of Southeast Asia were not colonies as there was no scope of economic exploitation. India also did not enjoy monopoly in the field of foreign trade.
The absence of concrete evidence regarding Indian cultural expansion has resulted in the postulation of various theories regarding the motives and the process of the transfer of Indian cultural elements to Southeast Asia. In this article, the flow of Indian cultural elements is shown in the context of Southeast Asian initiative or 'indigenization'. The consensus is that the process of Indian cultural expansion in Southeast Asia was accomplished by peaceful means and it was non-political in character. There is first the kshatriya (warrior class) theory, which presupposes that Indian cultural expansion was due to the seminal influence of the Indian warriors and conquerors, who migrated in large numbers to Southeast Asia. The vaisya (merchant class) theory postulates that Indian cultural penetration began with traders, who intermarried with local women and impressed the indigenous population with their goods and culture. The third theory, commonly known as brahmana (priestly class) theory accorded primacy to local initiative: indigenous port patricians and rulers enlisted the service of brahmans to buttress their political authority through Hindu ceremonies and rituals. Rather than being the result of a single factor, most likely the whole process of Indian cultural expansion was the outcome of endeavors of warriors, traders and priests along with the indigenous initiative. Most probably all four groups of people were involved in the process.
Asia did not adopt the caste system, nor even the dietary habits of the Indians like curry powder or milk products. Politically, none of the supposed Southeast Asia 'colonies' showed any allegiance to India. Economically speaking, the states of Southeast Asia were not colonies as there was no scope of economic exploitation. India also did not enjoy monopoly in the field of foreign trade.The absence of concrete evidence regarding Indian cultural expansion has resulted in the postulation of various theories regarding the motives and the process of the transfer of Indian cultural elements to Southeast Asia. In this article, the flow of Indian cultural elements is shown in the context of Southeast Asian initiative or 'indigenization'. The consensus is that the process of Indian cultural expansion in Southeast Asia was accomplished by peaceful means and it was non-political in character. There is first the kshatriya (warrior class) theory, which presupposes that Indian cultural expansion was due to the seminal influence of the Indian warriors and conquerors, who migrated in large numbers to Southeast Asia. The vaisya (merchant class) theory postulates that Indian cultural penetration began with traders, who intermarried with local women and impressed the indigenous population with their goods and culture. The third theory, commonly known as brahmana (priestly class) theory accorded primacy to local initiative: indigenous port patricians and rulers enlisted the service of brahmans to buttress their political authority through Hindu ceremonies and rituals. Rather than being the result of a single factor, most likely the whole process of Indian cultural expansion was the outcome of endeavors of warriors, traders and priests along with the indigenous initiative. Most probably all four groups of people were involved in the process.
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