Slide 1

India & the Indian Ocean Basin

IntroductionIndian Ocean stories included visions of vast wealth through maritime tradeIndia was a distinct land w/ its own customs, while connected to a larger world of trade & communication from E. Africa SE Asia & China (economic integration)Port cities, network of sea-lanes & trading postsIndia influenced SE Asia (not as dominantly as China in E. Asia)Adopted Indian political organizationHinduism & Buddhism spread (& Islam later)India was politically disunited, but culturally united through Hinduism (although Islam spreads there)

Indias Muslim & Hindu KingdomsIndia was politically divided from the end of the Gupta (mid-6th century from White Hun pressure) until the Mughals united most of the subcontinent in the 16th centuryNorthern IndiaLocal rivals & Turkish invasions disrupted society while nomadic groups integrated into the caste systemHarsha temporarily restored unified rule in northern India during the 7th century (even ambassadors w/ Tang China); Buddhist, but had religious tolerance; free health care; supported scholars & literature; no heir disintegrated

Spread of Islam 8145

Islam Expansion6Indias Muslim & Hindu Kingdoms (cont.)Islam in Northern IndiaSind (Indus River Valley) conquered by Umayyad, but population remained Hindu & Buddhist w/ local ruleMerchants spread Islam through settling in port citiesTurkish invasion Mahmud of GhazniDelhi Sultanate (1206-1526) mostly local Hindu princes who reported back to Islamic govt at DelhiSouthern IndiaMainly regional Hindu rulers, but less warfare than northChola (850 1267) navy & dominated trade in Indian Ocean; decentralized govt led to collapse (local autonomy w/ tribute)Vijayanagar (1336-1565 in Deccan) Hindu w/ Muslim trade

Indian Ocean Basin - AgricultureTrade increased during the postclassical period because agricultural production increased, but the caste system remained the most powerful organizing feature of IndiaAgriculture & the MonsoonThe monsoon required careful agricultural planning to avoid drought & famineSouthern India utilized dams, reservoirs, canals, wells & tunnels to irrigate the land dependent on summer monsoonPopulation grew from 53 million in 600 to 105 million by 1500Urbanization Delhi had 400,000 during the 14th century, many other trading ports over 100,000Indias Trade & Economic DevelopmentInternal TradeRegions were self-sufficient w/ staples of rice, wheat, barley & millet, but specialty crops only grew in certain regionsGanges Valley iron; Deccan plateau copper; Coastal salt; Southern pepper, saffron & sugar; southern areas benefited more from trade (war disrupted northern areas while Chola had stability)Cross-Cultural Trade/External TradeUsed monsoon winds even in classical period, but increasingly went away from shorelines w/ monsoon predictabilityDhows & junks larger ships enabled larger cargoes (especially after Song Dynasty advancements 1000 tons of cargo)India was central to Indian Ocean trade Cambay, Calicut & Quilon became cosmopolitan centers of port city trade

Specialized Production in the Indian Ocean BasinEast AfricaSW AsiaIndiaSE AsiaChina Gold Ivory Slaves Incense Horses Dates Cotton textiles Carpet weaving Sugar refining Leather tanning Stone carving Iron & steel production Spices Silk Porcelain Lacquer ware

Indian Ocean Dhow

Indian Ocean Dhow

Chinese Junk

Zheng Hes Ship Chinese Junk17

Hinduisms postclassical influence Temples served as economic & social centers owned agricultural lands & provided employment, organized community agriculture, maintained surpluses, schooling for boys, kept order, delivered tax receipts to Chola, served as bankers & investors; i.e., crucial to economic health of IndiaCaste & Society the caste system has been adjusted & adapted to accommodate migrations increasingly complex & helped to maintain order in a society w/o strong centralized govtsJati (subcastes) often took the form of workers guilds and enjoyed political & economic influenceCaste system increased in southern India during the postclassical period through powerful temples & increased internal trade w/ northern India

Indias postclassical religionsHindu & Islamic traditions increased, while Jainism & Buddhism lost followers during the postclassical periodBuddhist decline was hastened by Turkish invaders in the north when stupas & libraries were destroyedHinduism - pantheon of gods & spirits; predominant religion of the southern areasShiva & Vishnu became cult deities which promised salvationShankara (9th century) only disciplined logical reasoning would lead to BrahmanRamanuja intellectual efforts less important than personal union with the deity w/ emphasis on Vishnu

Shiva as the four-armed lord of dancers Shiva crushes a dwarf demon symbolizing ignorance

Indias postclassical religions (cont.)Islam strict monotheism; predominantly in northern areasBy 1500, of the population even though conquerors offered little incentive to convert (never given high govt posts) mostly because lower castes hoped to escape discrimination (although in vain)Sufis emphasized piety & devotion in India (therefore, similar to Hinduism)Bhakti (12th century in southern India) tried to combine Hindu & Muslim Shiva, Vishnu & Allah were all manifestations of a universal deity, but was unsuccessful

Indias influence in SE AsiaMerchants introduced Hinduism, Buddhism, Sanskrit writings, Indian political organization (loose) & later, Islam Did not incorporate the caste system Continued to venerate indigenous deities & nature spiritsSE Asian rulers consolidated power through tradeExporting: pearls, aromatics & animals skinsImporting: textiles, gold, silver & metal goods

Funan(1st 6th)Srivijaya(7th 11th)Singosari(13th)Angkor(9th 15th)Majapahit(14th) Melaka(15th)PKingdomKingdomKingdomKingdomKingdomKingdomEAgri. based & controlled tradecontrolled tradecontrolled tradeAgri. basedcontrolled tradecontrolled tradeRHinduBuddhismBlended H, B & natureBuddhismHinduH IslamI/AExtensive irrigation systemPowerful navyAngkor Thom & WatPowerful navy & mosquesNMekong DeltaSumatraJavaCambodiaJavaMelakaSoutheast Asia Postclassical

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Schwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar