Indian Regionalism

Post-Classical India
Post Classical World

 Regionalism common in Asian world

 Other areas such as China and Islam
experienced only brief regionalism with
surges of Empire
 Northern India has garnered most of the
attention thus far, this period sees the South
emerge as a prominent entity.
Southern India

 With the emergence of Maritime trade—it

rose to prominence.
 As early as the 1st millennium AD this region
vied for political dominance and saw
countless small “proto-kingdoms” emerge.
 Groups such as the Pandya, Pallava, and
Chola. These groups bore a strong
resemblance to Zhou China.
Caste in Southern India

 Not as urban as the North, we see the

emergence of the “three caste system”.
– North/South: Religious caste
– North/South: Professional caste
– South/North: Geographic caste (hill-people,
dessert-people) Each caste had “jati” amidst
them.
Gender relations in South India

 South India saw women play elite roles in

politics culture and the economy. Very
different from the rest of the classical-PC
world.
 Princesses, poets, female rulers, merchants,
artisans, etc…
Southern India Cultural Traits

 Hindu temples often had universities

teaching Hindu philosophy—prevelance of
Hinduism in Southern India in the face of
Islam.
 Law, medicine, poetry, and astronomy
significant fields of study.
 Art and poetry: see attached
Temple Building

 A sign of religious
devotion
 Set tempo for not only
South Asia but SE Asia.
Prominent leaders of South Asia

 Chola Kingdom  Rajaraja I

 Conquest of
“Lanka”
 Expansion/Navy
 Feudalism
 Unity never
achieved
Northwestern India

 Mauryan dynasty destroyed—Gupta

emerged and later destroyed by the Huns.
 Constant invasions from Central Asia and
Arab and Turkish Muslims illustrated the
flexibility of the caste system.
 Buddhism most prominent in this region.
NE India
 Gupta rule replaced by
Harsha.
 Xuan Zang: Marco Polo
or Ibn Batuta
 Characteristics
 Similar to Charlemagne
from Europe
 “Samanta system”
 Dissimilar to China
Harsha and religion

 Adhered to Buddhism but tolerated

Hinduisum
 Abhorred Sati
Dehli Sultanate: Islamic entrance

 Waves of conquest that

begin 711
 Absorbed into Abbasid
caliphate
 Islam had significant appeal
 Entered largely via trade
 Pirates prompt Invasion
 Muhammad Ibn Qasim
 Results-“Dhimmi”.
Mahmud of Ghazni

 17 raids into India in 26

years
 Established Delhi Sultanate
 Took advantage of Indian
Regionalism
 Army of 300,000
 Intolerant to Hinduism and
Buddhism
 Never moved beyond
Deccan region of India
 Time of great struggle
Dehli Sultanate
Indian influences on Islamic
Civilization

 Arab numerals
 Geometry
 Medicine
 Hospitals
 Arabian Nights
 Cultural sharing
Trade in PC India

 Most areas were “self-sufficient” in staple foods

 Regional strengths emerge
 Spice
 Politics meant controlling trade
 Agricultural yields increased
 Irrigation became more sophisticated (Bhopal
reservoir)
 Increased agricultural productivity led to:
 Importance of temples
Cross Cultural Trade
Cross-Cultural Interaction

 Advancements in trade and shipping

 Emporia: a place which the traders of one
nation had reserved to their business
interests within the territory of another nation.
 Commerce and cultural diffusion
 Trade goods
Religion and Culture in PC India

 Jainism and Buddhism

begin to wither in India.
 Region dominated by
Hinduism and Islam
 Rise of a new faith—
Sikh.
 Rise of regional
devotional cults in
India.
Rise of Vishnu and Shiva

 Decline of Buddhism
 Vishnu-Preserver of the
World, a god who observed
the universe from the
heavens and entered the
world in human form to
resist evil or communicate
his teachings.
 Shiva (Siva): a god of fertility
and destruction, brought life
and took it away.
Appeal of Bhakti

 Promised salvation
 Deities honored daily
 Regionalism of cults
 Goal to achieve a mystic union with Shiva or
Vishnu
 Temples were built to honor these deities
Shankara

 Take all Hindu

philosophy and blend it
into a single, consistent
system of thought.
 Physical world-illusion
(Plato)
 Only disciplined logic
could lead to fulfillment
Ramanuja

 Intellectual understand
was less important than
those who possessed a
deep personal
understanding of faith.
(Mani)
 Followed “Gita”
 Direct devotion to
Vishnu would bring his
grace.
Guru Kabir: The Bhakti Movement

 Kabir always insisted on

the concept of Koi bole Ram
Ram Koi Khudai..., which
means that someone may
chant the Hindu name of
God and someone may
chant the Muslim name of
God, but God is the one
who made the whole world.
Sayings of Guru Kabir

 When the blind lead the

blind both fall into well!
 “I am neither in
temple or Mosque”
Buddhist center
Nalanda sacked by Islamic
forces (1196)
Hindu Influence in the Region
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat
Angkor Thom
Siva statue from Cambodia
Ellora Temple