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Buddhism
Another key social impact was the spread of Buddhism in Srivijaya. Srivijaya was the first centre of Mahayana Buddhism in Southeast Asia, so this was a very significant impact as Srivijayans were able to learn about the way of the Buddha. It also provided an alternative to Hinduism in the region, which focused a lot on the various depictions of gods and was thus deemed to be harder to understand and follow than Buddhism which is founded on four basic truths.
The impact can be seen in Buddhist temples that were built. An example would be the Muara Jambi in Sumatra. The temples are constructed in mandalic formation when seen in an aerial view, with concentric circles and squares, with four gates on the four sides of the exterior squares. The higher and lower physical spaces represent higher and lower states of existence, or good and evil, and thus an ascension to a higher state of existence, known as Nirvana in which a Buddhist breaks free of the cycle of rebirth and reincarnation. Cosmic power is also believed to enter the figure at the centre of the space and radiate outwards to protect the realm from disintegrative forces.
One influence of Buddhism was to the royal people of Srivijaya. Being a political mandala, a ruler had to attain a higher degree of merit by doing good and following the teachings of the Buddha. This impacted how the rulers were chosen as it was based on a spiritually sourced meritocracy rather than solely lineage as in monarchs that traditionally existed till then.
Sanskrit, Language & Art
Indianization spread Sanskirt to Srivijaya, which is indeed a significant impact. It can be seen in the name Srivijaya itself, wherein Sri means shining or radiant and Vijaya means victory or excellence. Sanskrit made its way into Sumatran and Indonesian literature and many scripts have been found, including the Indonesian versions of the Indian epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Sanskrit served as the basis for Bahasa Indonesia, as seen by the long list of loan words from Sanskrit in Bahasa today. In addition, it was during Indianization that language in Indonesia sophisticated and greater emphasis was placed on Grammar.
On a larger note, Sanskrit also shows the Indian influence on Art and Writing. The epics were transformed and spun into creative pieces, including scripts and shadow puppetry. However, it is worth noting that most of the evidences of art were found in Java, which was the centre of the next big empire Majapahit, between the end of the Srivijayan empire and during the course of the Majapahit rule, so it cannot be said for certain if it was truly during Srivijayan times that the arts flourished. However, it can be safely said that the Indian influence did have a part to play in it!
Economic Success
The sophistication of Indianization in Srivijaya allowed for economic advancement. This can be seen in the development of their own currency: the Srivijayan tin coins.
This economic success was brought about due to the success of the Srivijayan state in controlling key ecological zones:
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Agricultural plain along the Musi River. This provided food to sustain the empire and allow them to grow.
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Upland regions in Sumatra. They were rich commercially valuable forest products, specifically, exotic wood, which was traded for great gains.
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River ports and the Sunda & Malacca Straits. By gaining control over the Sunda & Malacca Straits, as well as forming allies with the other ports nearby, Indianized Srivijaya was able to monopolize the Sino-Indic trade, by charging taxes on passing ships as most ships had no other alternative route. The ports became so strong after Indianization that the trans-isthmian route for travel became less popular.
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The "rice bowl" in Central Java. It was, and still is, a very productive piece of land that can feed the entire Indonesia.
By providing economic successes, Indianization allowed for the Srivijayan society to have more spending power and better quality of life.
Impacts of Indianization on Srivijayan society
Here are some of the many impacts that Indianization had on Srivijayan society!
