India's Cultural Influence

Often, India is overlooked when mentioning foreign influences within Indonesia’s rich culture. However, it was actually one of the most influential countries to ever come to the nation. Indians first entered Indonesia in the early first century. Mainly searching for trade and colonization, they first stopped in Sumatra due to its strategic location, however later continued on to explore other islands of Indonesia as well. The presence left from this glorious Hindu-Buddhist era has never left Indonesia, forever altering the many areas of the nation’s culture. The religious values, economic success, intellect and art of Indonesia were the main areas the Indians managed to influence.

The Indian-brought religions of Hinduism and Buddhism impacted

Indonesian traditional dances are not very brisk with a slower tempo allowing the movements of anga, pirathi anga, upaanga, thala and laya to be performed, much like the Indian dances that also share similar postures, costumes and stances (Pathmanathan). Dances and dramas also take after Hindu and Buddhist themes, Indian rituals, folklores and Puranic stories, especially the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Indonesia’s traditional music is also similar to India’s, sharing the same ragas of the tilang, bhopali and shudn sarang (“Indian Influence Abroad”). Indonesian sculpture was also influenced by India’s, with Buddhist stone and bronze sculptures in temples dating back to as early as the eighth century known for the serenity and delicacy of their expressions (“Indonesian Culture: Arts and Traditions”). However, the biggest impact was through the Sanskrit language, which influenced Bahasa Indonesia and the old Javanese language of Kawi, making up to 30% of it (Somvir). The elite class of Indonesia during the Hindu-Buddhist era greatly and eagerly accepted this change, sparking a new interest in literature, which flourished during the rules of King Airlangga of Bali and King Dharmawangsa of the Singasari kingdom. Indian literary works such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas or Mahakavyas were translated into Kawi and were reproduced (Mishra, 2-5). India’s cultural impact on the nation’s intellect and art was the strongest within all areas of Indonesian culture. Just about any piece is visible to this day, especially within the diversity of performing arts in the different cultures of the Indonesian people groups, like in dance, wayang, etc. India was able to contribute to the culture and forever altered the traditions and arts of the nation. Indonesia continues to