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India has long cultural relations with Southeast Asia, mostly enabled by marine trading routes. By encouraging robust commerce and diplomatic ties, especially with Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam, ancient Indian dynasties such as the Cholas and the Guptas distributed their cultural impact over the area.
Illustration by The Geostrata
Still evident in many Southeast Asian cultural features today, this history of cultural exchange helped to create a shared heritage including language, religion, art, and architecture.
HISTORICAL CONNECTIONS
Early in the first millennium CE, Hinduism and Buddhism began their journey from India to Southeast Asia. To the area Indian traders, monks, and academics brought religious books, ideas, and customs. As seen by the Hindu and Buddhist monuments like Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Borobudur in Indonesia, and the My Son temples in Vietnam, this interaction shaped the religious settings.
Cultural Interaction with Southeast Asia was made possible by Indian nautical expertise, particularly under the Chola Empire (9th–13th century); to ingrain further Indian cultural and political dominance in the Bay of Bengal, the Cholas launched military expeditions and developed economic ties.
Elements of which one may still find in Southeast Asia today, Indian art, literature, language (particularly Sanskrit), and legal systems also proliferated as a result.
With inscriptions discovered all across Southeast Asia, the Sanskrit language and Indian scripts had a significant influence. Widely utilized in inscriptions and literature, Sanskrit and Pali indicated strong religious and cultural ties. Many aspects of Indian government, religious philosophy, and aesthetics were taken up by the Indianized kingdoms such as Funan in Cambodia and Srivijaya and Majapahit in Indonesia.
Common Architectural and Artistic Styles: Southeast Asian temple architecture was much shaped by Indian building techniques. Inspired regional changes resulting from the Dravidian and Nagara styles produced distinctive but clearly Indian-influenced buildings all across the area.
Angkor Wat's complex carvings and the great Buddhist complex of Borobudur mirror a combination of Indian art and local customs.
CONTEMPORARY ATTEMPTS TO RESTIVE CULTURAL RELATONS
Under direction from its Act East Policy and strategic initiatives, India has worked to revive its historical links with Southeast Asia in recent years, concentrating especially on Myanmar as a gateway to the area.
Launched in 2014, the Act East Policy is a development of the Look East Policy meant to improve India's political, commercial, and cultural ties to Southeast Asia. The policy stresses strengthening connectedness by means of infrastructure, trade, and cultural interaction. Given its strategic location abutting India's Northeast, India has given Myanmar top priority in this framework.
Image Credits: Rightful Owner
The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project seeks to link Sittwe port in Myanmar with India's eastern port of Kolkata, therefore promoting trade and person-to- person interactions.
The Trilateral Highway project aims to improve connectivity by building a road network from India's Northeast via Myanmar and into Thailand, encouraging cultural tourism.
Aiming to promote economic cooperation, security coordination, and cultural interchange, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) brings together nations of South and Southeast Asia. By means of BIMSTEC, India enhances its cultural and commercial relations with nations such Myanmar, Thailand, and others beyond.
India has revitalized maritime diplomacy by stepping up naval engagement with ASEAN nations, including joint drills and port calls stressing historical maritime ties. By encouraging mutual understanding via maritime history and legacy, the Sagar Parikrama and related initiatives seek to reestablish historic marine ties and strengthen cultural interactions.
India has used its position as the birthplace of Buddhism to establish ties to countries with large Buddhist populations in Southeast Asia. Soft power and Buddhism The Buddhist Circuit project and encouragement ofwith travel to places like Bodh Gaya assist India rebuild cultural ties to nations such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
COMPARISONS AND CONTRASTS WITH HISTORICAL RELATIONSHIPS
Historically, merchants, academics, and artists helped India to shape Southeast Asia organically and mostly depending on common religious and cultural ideals.
The natural spread of influence apart from direct political control produces an enduring impact still seen today. Modern initiatives, on the other hand, are state-driven and can centre strategic, financial, and security issues above cultural outreach.
Although contemporary projects like the Act East Policy seek to re-connect India with its historical neighbours, they function in a different environment among conflicting pressures from China and the U.S., which also have significant interests in the area. Using cultural diplomacy to promote soft power and mutual respect, India's strategy to Southeast Asia currently balances revitalizing old connections with tackling modern geopolitical issues.
BY MUKUND SUSARLA
CENTRE FOR HISTORY AND CULTURE
TEAM GEOSTRATA
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