The South East Asian region comprises Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Java, Sumatra, Indonesia and Bali.
From ancient times, India and the South East Asian region have had close ties with each other. The immigration of the Indian population to the South East Asian region took place mainly for commercial purposes. Indian influences can be seen in many aspects of South East Asian life. It opened doors to Hindu and Buddhist influences.
It also influenced linguistic and cultural expansion. Mainly in the classical dance forms, social ritual dances and folk dances, one discerns similarities. Very likely, the South East Asian dance forms must have been based on ‘Natya Sastra’. One popular Thai dance is ‘Lakhon’. The main theme includes folk stories and Buddhist Jataka tales. It draws its inspiration from ‘Ramayana’.
‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ are the two main ancient epics dominating the whole world till this date. Both the epics impart the values of Karma and Dharma doctrines. The ‘Ramayana’ originally has four Sanskrit versions. Besides the four original Sanskrit versions, different ‘Ramayana’ versions could be seen in Indian languages. For instance, ‘Ramachari Manas’ by Tulasi Das in Hindi, ‘Ramavatar’ in Punjabi, ‘Ramavatara Charita’ in Kashmiri, ‘Ramacharitram’ in Malayalam, ‘Ranganatha Ramayanam’ in Telugu, ‘Torvave Ramayana’ in Kannada, and ‘Kamba Ramayanam’ in Tamil. It is noticeable that whatever the name is used by different regions the theme of the story remains the same.
Very popular
The Indian ‘Ramayana’ epic is very popular in the Southeast Asian region. Different portions of ‘Ramayana’ were beautifully depicted and decorated numerous architectural buildings in the form of paintings and sculptures.
The royal palace of Thailand is decorated with ‘Ramayana ‘murals and it is well depicted in the form of sculptures as well. ‘Hanuman’ worship is also widely practised in Thailand. According to historical evidence, many rulers of Thailand added the name “Rama” to their names. The former Thai capital was called Ayodhya before it was renamed Bangkok.
Cambodia is another country where traces of Hinduism could be found. Numerous evidence of Hinduism could be identified in the form of ruins. One of the great emperors of Cambodia, Kharmers worshipped the trinity Hindu Gods, Lord Bhrama, Lord Vishnu and Lord Siva along with the Buddha. Another King Suryavarman built a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
Similarly, Vietnam is another country where a considerable amount of Hindu worship took place. It is stated that Hindu rule started with the Champa regime which lasted nearly 1,500 years. Before the establishment of the Hindu regime, Vietnam was under Chinese influence. Earlier the temples were dedicated to Lord Siva worship and later they were replaced to worship Lord Rama.
Islam is widely practised in Indonesia, yet the Hindu epics of ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Ramayana’ also gained popularity in the land. The ‘Ramayana’ version of Indonesia was known as ‘Kakawin Ramayana’ because it was written in the old Javanese language ‘Kawi’.
Java temple
Hinduism was widely practised in Java especially during the 10th century still identified among the Prambanam temple of central Java. The Prambanam temple in central Java was dedicated to Lord Siva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma worship. At this temple numerous chapters of ‘Ramayana’ epic were installed in the form of architectural decorative sculptures. Even the Sultan of Yogjakarta had conducted a puppet show on different chapters of ‘Ramayana’ or ‘Mahabaratha’ at his palace daily.
The traces of Hinduism could be seen all over the Southeast Asian region. The bird Garuda is considered the ‘Vahana’ (Vehicle) of Lord Vishnu which plays an important role in India and the Southeast Asian region. Garuda (Eagle) has been chosen as the national emblem of Indonesia.
All over the Bali island of Indonesia there is evidence of the early existence of Hinduism. Many Hindu temples could be seen depicting excellent ‘Ramayana’ sculptures.