MALAYSIA - Impact of India

There is no Malaya, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia - or even Sri Lanka - without the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism from India or the overall cultural influence of India.  I thought I'd start my Malay blogs by first talking about the historical impact of India on Southeast Asia, particularly the role of religion (Hinduism) and language (Sanskrit).  

Aboriginal Malays

About 10,000 years ago, aboriginal Malays migrated to the Malay peninsula from southwestern China and spread throughout the Indonesian islands.  They were ethnically similar to the people of Sumatra, Java and the Philippines.  Various South and Southeast Asian empires exerted control over the region, including southern Indian kingdoms on the Deccan Plateau. 

Hinduism

Hinduism spread to Southeast Asia around 200 BC through traders from Kalinga (Orissa in eastern India).  It was concentrated around the islands of Java and Sumatra.  Around the same time, the Khmer rulers of Cambodia adopted Hindu practices; by the 8th century, the Khmers had taken Sanskrit names (Jayavarman II), adopted the Ramayana epic and built Hindu temples. 

Until about the 15th century, Indian culture spread from mainland India to what historians call the "Greater India" kingdoms of Southeast Asia.  These were Srivijaya (Sumatra - now Indonesia and Malaysia); Yavadvipa/ Singhasari  (Java); Kambuja (Cambodia); Ayutthaya (Thailand) and Lanka (Sri Lanka).  In the 14th century, most of Southeast Asia came under the Hindu kingdom of Majapahit.

Hinduism was the accepted religion of the Malays prior to the advent of Islam.

Sanskrit 

According to historical records, Sanskrit was used in Malaya in the fourth century.  Early Malay literature is inspired by the Ramayana and Mahabaratha. Even today, a major portion of the Malay vocabulary is made up of Sanskrit words. 

There is a joke that there are only four genuinely Malay words.  These are "api" or fire, "besi" or iron, "padi" or rice, and "nasi" or cooked rice; when a Malay speaks a sentence of ten words, five of them will be Sanskrit, three Arabic and the remaining English, Chinese or Persian! 

Words such as "putra" (son), "putri" (daughter), "kanchana" (gold), "negri"/"nagari" (city/town), "citra" (picture), "uttara" (north), "puji"/"puja" (worship), "periksa"/"pariksha" (examine), and thousands of other words are of Sanskrit origin or have been modified.

The name Indonesia comes from the same source as India (Indus river); Singapore is a Sanskrit word (meaning city of the lion from "singha" or lion); Sumatra (from "samudra") means ocean in Sanskrit; Java meaning barley is from the Sanskrit word "yava"; while Siam (the official name of Thailand until 1939) comes from the Sanskrit word "shyama" (meaning dark or black). 

Hindu Influence

Hindu influence was initially limited to royalty and the upper classes of old Malay society. According to the "Sejarah Melayu" (Malay Annals), royalty in Malaya was descended from Raja Suran, a legendary half-Indian half-Greek king.  

Hinduism spread through marriage; there was no proselytisation.  Malay princes who wanted a better standard of living wed their sons and daughters to the children of prosperous Indian merchants who influenced the ruling classes with whom they traded.

While the common people often followed the religion of their rulers, they were afraid of invoking the wrath of their previous gods and assimilated Hindu theology into existing animistic beliefs.  In fact the practice of Hinduism (and Buddhism) in Southeast Asia is so diluted (some might say corrupted) by local custom as to be somewhat unrecognizable to Hindus in India.

Malay Folklore: Hindu Gods

Malay folklore includes Vishnu, the preserver; Brahma, the creator; Batara  Guru (Kala) and S'ri.  To the Malays, "tok Batara Guru" was the all-powerful god before the advent of Islam; he could restore the dead to life and all prayers were addressed to him.

Of the lesser Hindu gods in Malay folklore, the most notable are the "gergasi," half-human tusked ogres that feed on human flesh. There are also "raksaksa" (or rakshasa), a race of cannibal giants ruled by Ravana, according to the Indian Puranas.  Raksaksa tribes are mentioned in the Kedah Annals. 

Early Melaka (Malacca) 

In 1405, a Hindu ruler, Parameswara from Temasek (Singapore), opened a trading post in Melaka. With the protection of the Chinese Emperor, Melaka withstood invasions from Siam in the north.  Melaka's rule covered almost the entire peninsula; it grew in prosperity, attracting Arab, Chinese and Indian traders.

Islam

Parameswara's son was the first Malay to convert to the new religion which was brought to Melaka by Indian and Arab traders.  Melaka became a sultanate and Islam spread throughout Malaya, Borneo and the Indonesian archipelago. 

Hinduism had already exerted a strong influence on Malay culture before the coming of Islam.  This influence has survived, despite the strict monotheistic restrictions of Islam.  

For instance, Muslim Malays use Hindu terminology when describing the Islamic concepts of heaven and hell.  They use "surga" (from the Sanskirt "svarga") to describe paradise instead of the Arabic word "al-jannah" (or "jannat") while "neraka" (from the Sanskirt "naraka") is used to explain hell instead of "al-nar" ("jahannum") or the place of fire. 

A Muslim religious teacher is often called "guru," a Hindu term; the Muslim prayer is called "sembahyang" which derives from Sanskrit "sembah" (to pray) and "yang" (meaning divinity or respect).

There are many other Hindu religious terms that may have lost their original meaning but are still used by Muslim Malays. 

Ludi.
Premiera Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
August 20, 2014
Text and Photos from my iPad


Hindu Temples, Kuala Lumpur & Penang