Indic Elements in Indonesian Arts and Literature: Shared Heritage Between India and Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31291/hn.v11i1.632Keywords:
Indic-Belt, Ramayana, Mahabharata, heritageAbstract
Indic-Belt or the Greater India is the geographical region where Bharat’s knowledge tradition spread and influenced the local community in terms of language, culture, religions, practices and social values. Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia has been the region that received more Indic knowledge than any other parts of the world due to the easy accessibility to the land and sea routes. This Indic influence is visible in many art forms and folklore due to a long period of rules of Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms. This study aims at exploring the presence of Indic elements in Indonesian artworks, old buildings and folklore. This paper is based on a qualitative descriptive study in which the data was collected through literature study. The study found that Indian epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata have greatly influenced the literary tradition in Indonesia, as it was present in the forms of puppets, woodcrafts, painting and batik. In addition, Indonesian-present vocabulary ”˜Esa’ (singular) to describe the concept of oneness of God came from the Sanskrit word ”˜ish’ which was carried out by the Indic permeate to Indonesia. The study suggests that with such influence of Indic culture and tradition to Indonesia, both Indonesia and India shared similar heritage and hence steps to strengthen the cultural bonds between the two nations need to be built and maintained.
Downloads
References
ArtdianCollection. Furniture and Wood Carving Craft in Java Indonesia. https://artdiancollection.com/furniture-and-wood-carving-craft-in-java-indonesia/
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Majapahit empire Encyclopedia." Britannica, May 18, 2012. https://www.britannica.com/place/Majapahit-empire. Accessed May 1, 2021.
Buswell, Robert E., Lopez, Donald S. Jr. (2014). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Chakravarti, M. (1986). The Concept of Rudra-Śiva Through the Ages. India: Motilal Banarsidass.
Christie, J. W. (1998). "The Medieval Tamil-language Inscriptions in Southeast Asia and China." Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 29(2), 239–268. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20072045
Cœdès, G. (1968). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. (city) University of Hawaii Press.
Cœdes, G. (1983). The making of South East Asia. Translated by H.M. Wright. Berkeley: University of California Press.
deBoer, F. E., Bandem, I. M., & Madra, I. K. (1992). “The Death of Kumbakarna” of I Ketut Madra: A Balinese Wayang Ramayana Play. Asian Theatre Journal, 9(2), 141. https://doi.org/10.2307/1124346
di Kleen, T. (1923). "The Rituals of Bali." Folklore, 34(3), 216–223. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1256597
Fatmayanti. (2015). "Indonesian Wooden Art." Export News of Indonesia. Ditjen PEN/MJL/20/III/2015 March. http://djpen.kemendag.go.id/app_frontend/admin/docs/publication/8421442304569.pdf
Geertz, C. (1960). The Religion of Java. Illinois: The Free Press.
Jha, G.K. (2019). "India's Diaspora Connections in South-East Asia." Scholars' Point, Indian Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies. http://www.kiips.in/research/indias-diaspora-connections-in-south-east-asia/
Jha, G.K. (2016). "Indonesian Cultural System and the Undercurrent." Heritage of Nusantara International Journal of Religious Literature and Heritage, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 212-229.
Ilham Riyardi Maulana. (Juli 2020) "Kajian Tentang Situs Klasik Hindu Budha Di Kelurahan 9/10 Ulu Palembang." Kalpataru, Volume 6, Nomor 1, (75-82).
Kamalakaran Ajay. (October 26, 2021). "The Journey of Pallava script from Tamil Nadu to South East Asia." https://scroll.in/magazine/1007954/the-journey-of-pallava-script-from-tamil-nadu-to-south-east-asia
Miller, C. (2010). "A Gujarati Origin for Scripts of Sumatra, Sulawesi and the Philippines." Berkeley Linguistics Society, 2010, 276-291.
Findlay, R., O'Rourke, K. H. (2009). Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium. United Kingdom: Princeton University Press.
Ricklefs, M. (1993). A History of Modern Indonesia since c. 1300 (2nd ed.). Stanford University Press / Macmillan.
Wade, G. (2009). "An Early Age of Commerce in Southeast Asia, 900-1300 CE." Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 40(2), 221–265. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27751563
Schober, J. (1995). "The Theravāda Buddhist Engagement with Modernity in Southeast Asia: Whither the Social Paradigm of the Galactic Polity?" Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 26(2), 307–325. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20071720
Shanmuganayagam C. (May 15,1996). "Maha Yogi Śrī Agastiyar: The Ageless Guru of Gurus." The Ceylon Daily News (Colombo). http://murugan.org/bhaktas/agastyar.htm
Sinopoli, Carla M. (2001). "On the Edge of Empire: Form and Substance in the Satavahana Dynasty." In Alcock, Susan E.; D'Altroy, Terence N.; Morrison, Kathleen D.; Sinopoli, Carla M. eds.
Stadtner, Donald. (1975). "A Śuṅga Capital from Vidiśā." Artibus Asiae, 37(1/2), 101–104. doi:10.2307/3250214.
Sujana, Gusti Made. (2022). "Signed Batik Painting of Hindu Ramayana Scene from Bali, 'Deer Trick'." Novica, The Impact Marketplace.
Thapar, R. (2009). "Ashoka —A Retrospective." Economic and Political Weekly, 44(45), 31–37. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25663762
Thapar, R. (2003). The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. New Delhi: Penguin Books, pp. 364–365. ISBN 978-0-14-302989-2.
Thapar, R. (1990). A History of India Volume 1. City? Penguin Books.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Heritage of Nusantara: International Journal of Religious Literature and Heritage
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
