Chapter 21 - Spread of Indian Culture Abroad (Part -2) - Notes, UPSC / IAS Exam | Art, Architecture and Literature by Shahid Ali PDF Download

SPREAD OF INDIAN CULTURE ABROAD

21.6 CONT  ACTS BETWEEN INDIA AND THE ARAB  CIVILIZATION

India’s links with West Asia, by land as well as sea routes, goes back to very ancient times. These ties between the two culture zones (the idea of nations had not yet developed) became particularly close with the rise and spread of Islamic civilization in West Asia. About the economic aspects of this relationship, we have from about mid-ninth century AD a number of accounts by Arab and other travellers, such as Sulaiman, the Merchant, Al-Masudi, Ibn Hauqal, Al Idrisi, etc, which attest to a flourishing commercial exchange between these areas. Evidence for a very active interaction in the cultural sphere, however, goes back to the eighth century and earlier.

The fruitful cultural intercourse between India and West Asia is evident in many areas. We shall see here how the Islamic world was enriched as a result of this. In the field of astronomy, two important works namely the Brahma-sphuta-siddhanta better known to the Arab world as Sindhin and Khandakhadyaka (known as Arkand) were brought to Baghdad by embassies from Sindh. With the help of Indian scholars of these embassies, they were  translated into Arabic by Alfazari, who probably also assisted Yakub Iun Tarik. Later Aryabhatta’s and Varahamihira’s works on astronomy were also studied and incorporated into the scientific literature of the Arabs.

Another important contribution of India to Arab civilization was mathematics. The Arabs acknowledged their debt to India by calling mathematics ‘hindisa’ (pertaining to India). Indian mathematics, in fact, became their favourite field of study and discussion, its popularity being enhanced by the works of Alkindi among others. They were quick to appreciate the revolutionary character of the Indian decimal system with its concept of zero; a contemporary Syrian scholar paid glowing tribute to it: ‘I wish only to say that this computation is done by means of nine signs. If those who believe, because they speak Greek, that they have reached the limits of science, should know these things, they would be convinced that there are also others who know something”.

A number of Arab sources dating back to the tenth and thirteenth centuries inform us about several Indian works on medicine and therapeutics that were rendered into Arabic at the behest of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid, the ruler of Baghdad from AD 786 to 809. Indian scholars were also involved in these translations. For instance, the Sushruta Samhita was translated by an Indian called Mankh in Arabic.

Apart from astronomy, astrology, mathematics, and medicine, Arabs admired with keen interest many other aspects of Indian culture and civilization as well. They translated Indian works on a wide variety of subjects, but did not remain satisfied with the translations and went on to work out original compositions based on or derived from the treatises they translated. The other fields of Indian knowledge they studied included works on snake poison, veterinary art and books on logic, philosophy, ethics, politics and science of war. In the process their vocabulary was also enriched considerably. For instance, in the field of shipping, of which they were renowned masters, you can easily identify a number of Arabic words that had Indian origin: hoorti (a small boat) from hori, banavi from baniya or vanik, donij from dongi and so on.

21.7 INDIA’S CONTACT WITH ROME

It was Southern India which had the monopoly of the products that were in great demand in the West. In fact, the first three centuries of the Christian era saw a profitable sea-borne trade with the West represented mainly by the Roman Empire which had become India’s best customer. This trade happened mostly in South India and is testified both by literary texts and finds of Roman coins specially at Coimbatore and Madurai. Items like pepper, betel, spices, scents and precious stones like beryl, gem, diamond, ruby and amethyst, pearls, ivory, silk and muslins were in great demand. This trade with Rome was bound to bring in gold to India which gave her a favourable position in trade and established a stable gold currency for the Kushana empire of those days. The Tamil kings even employed ‘yavanas’ to guard their tents on the battlefield and the gates of Madurai. In ancient India the term ‘yavana’ was used for people belonging to Western Asia and the Mediterranean region and included Greeks and Romans. Some historians feel that the ‘yavana’ bodyguards might have included Roman legionaries.

By this time Kaveripattinam had become a very important centre of foreign trade. At Kaveripattinam raised platforms, godowns and warehouses for storing goods unloaded from ships were constructed on the beach. These goods were stamped with the ‘Tiger’ emblem of the Cholas after payment of customs duty and then passed on to merchants’ warehouses (pattinappalai). Close by were “settlements of Yavana merchants and quarters of foreign traders speaking various tongues”. They were served by a big bazar where all necessary things were available. Here one could find “vendors of fragrant pastes and powders, of flowers and incense; tailors who worked on silk, wool or cotton; traders in sandal, coral, pearl, gold and precious stones; grain merchants; washer men; dealers in fish and salts; butchers; blacksmiths, carpenters, coppersmiths, goldsmiths; painters, sculptors, cobblers and toy-makers. There were also horses brought to the market from distant lands beyond the seas.”

Most of these goods were gathered for export. According to Pliny, India’s exports included pepper and ginger which fetched a price that was a hundred times more than their original value. There was also a demand for incenses, spices and aromatics from India. Lavish consumption of these commodities took place in Rome.

The importance of trade with foreigners was quite high as one can understand from the number of ambassadors that were either sent to or received by the Indian kings. A Pandya king sent an ambassador to Roman Emperor Augustus of the first century BC. Ambassadors were also sent to Troy after AD 99. Claudius (from Ceylon), Trajan, Antonmis, Puis, Instiman and other ambassadors adorned the courts of various Indian kings.

The volume of trade with Rome was so high that to facilitate its movement, ports like Sopara, and Barygaza (Broach) came to be built in the west coast, while the Coromandal coast in the east carried on trade with “Golden Chersonese (Suvarnabhumi) and Golden Chyrse (Suvarnadvipa)”. The Chola kings equipped their ports with lighthouses, exhibiting blazing lights at night to guide ships to ports. At a site called Arikamedu near Pondicherry specimens of the famous Italian pottery known as Arretine with the Italian potter’s stamps imprinted on them and the fragment of a Roman lamp have also been found.

There is evidence of foreign trade in the Andhra region as well. Some of its ports and inland towns took part in this trade. Thus, the town of Paithana (Pratishthana) shipped abroad stones, tagara, cotton, muslin and other textiles. The Andhra king Yajnasri issued a rare type of coin figuring the ship as the symbol of the state’s sea-borne trade.

21.8 THE SHIPS AND FOREIGN TRADE

Trade thus became a very important mode that helped in the spread of Indian culture abroad. Even in very ancient times our ships could sail across the vast open seas and reach  foreign shores to establish commercial ties with several countries. The literature, art and sculpture of the neighbouring countries clearly shows the influence of Indian culture and civilization. Even in places like Surinam and the Caribbean Islands that are as far as the American coast, there is evidence of ancient Indian culture.

Samudra Gupta (AD 340-380) not only had a powerful army but also had a strong navy. Some inscriptions discovered in the Trans-Gangetic Peninsula and the Malaya Archipelago testify to the activities of Indian navigators in the Gupta age. Hsuan-tsang, who visited India during the reign of Emperor Harsha (AD 606-647), has also written a detailed description of India during those times. The Chola rulers had built a strong navy and conducted raids across the sea.

The Portuguese have noted that some merchants in India owned as many as fifty ships. According to them, it was a usual practice for the merchants to have their own ships.

Certain objects belonging to the Indus Civilization found at various sites in the West prove that there were trade and cultural contacts with the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations in the third millennium BC. India also had contacts with ancient Persia, Greece and Rome which provided a great impetus to the exchange of cultural, religious and social ideas. This flourishing trade contact with the Roman Empire is confirmed by the Roman historian Pliny who deplored the drain of wealth from Rome to India

21.9 WHAT DID THE INDIANS LEARN FROM THIS CONTACT

The Indians learnt many new things from the foreigners for examples minting of gold coins from the people of Greece and Rome. They learnt the art of making silk from China. They learnt how to grow betel from Indonesia. They established trade contact with the foreigners. The art and culture of the various countries got itself reflected over the Indian culture, but than this was reflected in the other countries also.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 21.4

1. How old is economic relations between India and Arab?

2. Name some of the prominent travellers of Arab.

3. Name the two astronomical works given to Arab world by India.

4. What was the contribution of India in the field of mathematics to the Arabs?

5. Who translated Sushruta Samhita into Arabic?

6. At whose behest, Indian works on medicine and therapeutics were rendered into Arabic?

7. What other fields of Indian knowledge was studied by Arabs?

8. Where were Roman coins found in India?

9. What were the things in great demand in Arab?

10. How was a stable gold currency established for the Kushana empire?

11. Who were Yavanas?

12. What was the work of Yavanas in ancient India?

13. Where were specimens of famous Italian pottery Arretine found in India?

14. Which Andhra kings issued a rare type of coin figuring the ship as the symbol of state’s seaborne trade?

WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT

 Indian culture spread to various parts of the world in ancient times through different modes.

 Indian Universities were famous for their standards of education which attracted students from many countries. These students acted as agents for spreading Indian culture.

 Sanskrit/Buddhist texts were translated into different languages. They became the best modes to spread Indian culture.

 A large number of monasteries and temples were built in all these countries where Indian culture and religion reached .

 Indian art styles were adopted by the artists of many countries.

 Indian Epics are famous in many countries. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are popular Epics in Southeast Asian countries.

 Sri Lanka was the first country to embrace Buddhism.

 Indian script Brahmi was the model for many scripts in the Southeast Asian countries.

 A large number of Sanskrit inscriptions found in these countries are the major sources for the history of Indo-Asian cultural connections.

 Buddhism is a living religion in countries like Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia.

 An important contribution of India to Arab civilization was mathematics.

TERMINAL EXERCISE

1. What were the various modes through which Indian culture spread abroad?

2. What was the role of the ancient universities in spreading Indian culture abroad?

3. How would Buddhism reach the countries of East Asia as a religion of peace?

4. Give an account of the Indian culture in Thailand?

5. Describe the religious architecture of Indonesia?

6. Briefly describe India’s trade relations with the Roman Empire.

7. Ancient India had a great access to sea and foreign trade. Discuss.

ANSWERS TO INTEXT QUESTIONS

21.1

1. Traders, teachers, emissaries and missionaries.

2. Nalanda and Valabhi universities.

3. Taranatha, the Tibetan scholar.

4. Kashyapa Martanga and Dharmarakshita

5. He went on the request of the king to get some Sanskrit texts translated into Chinese.

6. People who left India and wandered in Europe or settled there, were the ambassadors of Indian culture abroad.

21.2

1. Because silk was the main mercantile commodity of China.

2. Kuchi was in Central Asia. It was a famous centre of Indian culture. Silk route bifurcated here.

3. Khotan an oasis kingdom.

4. Famous cave complexes of the world

5. In the eighth to ninth century AD

6. Indian culture reached Japan through Korea. In 552 AD the Korean emperor sent a Buddha statue, sutras, implements for worship, artists, sculptors, painters, and architects as gifts for Japanese emperor.

7. A script in which mantras and syllables are written in known as shittan.

8. 96,000 Sanskrit books.

19.3

1. Mahavihar and Abhayagiri

2. It was Ashoka who sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra along with a delegation to Sri Lanka. A branch of Bodhi tree from Bodhgaya was planted here.

3. Pali

4. It is supposed to be the abode of Vishnu.

5. They are called the five peaks of the Sumeru Mountain.

6. The king Suryavarman is portrayed as an incarnation of Vishnu. He had attained a place in heaven because of his meritorious deeds.

7. It represents a square mile of construction with a broad moat running around adding to its spectacular charm.

8. Scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata are engraved on the walls of this temple.

9. The scene of Samudra manthan(churning of the ocean)

10. Scenes form the epics of Rama and Ravana, Shiva on mount Kailasha with Parvati and the destruction of Kamdeva.

11. Indrapura, Amaravati, Vijaya, Kauthara, Panduranga.

12. In Kedah and in the province of Wellesly

13. Female figurines with trident, the head of Nandi, a relief of Durga image, Ganesha and Shivlingas.

14. Some words are svarga, rasa, guna, dahda, mantri, dhipati, laksha

15. The most important inscription is from Ligor.

16. Over fifty temples.

17. The largest Shiva temple on the island of Java is called Prambanan.

18. There are temples of vahanas of Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma

19. Eight big temples, surrounded by 240 small temples.

20. Ramayana and Krishna

21. Over five hundred hymns, stotras dedicated to Shiva, Brahma, Durga, Ganesha, Buddha and many other deities have been discovered.

21.4

1. It started in the ninth century AD.

2. Sulaiman the merchant, Al-masudi, Ibn Hauqal, Al Idrisi.

3. (a)Brahma-sphuta – siddhanta better known as Sindhin in Arab.(b) Khandakhadyaka – known as Arkand.

4. The decimal system with its concept of zero.

5. Mankh

6. Caliph Harun al-Rashid.

7. Works on snake poison, veterinary art and books on logic, philosophy, ethics, politics and science of war.

8. At Coimbatore and Madurai

9. Items like pepper, betel, spices, scents, precious stones likes beryl, gem, diamond, ruby, amenthyst, pearls, ivory, silk, muslins.

10. The trade with Rome brought in gold to India. This established a stable gold currency for the Kushana Empire.

11. People belonging to Western Asia and the Mediterranean region. It included Greeks and Romans.

12. Guarding tents on the battle fields and the gates of Madurai.

13. At a site called Arikamedu near Pondicherry.

14. Yajnasri.