Indian and Chinese Cultural and Religious Influences in Ancient Southeast Asia Essay Example

Indian and Chinese cultural and religious influences in ancient Southeast Asia China and India, as two of four great ancient civilizations in the world, have important influences on the culture and religions of ancient Southeast Asia. However, their influences are different. The influence of religious culture in India on the Southeast Asia mainly in its religious beliefs, almost all the India’s religious beliefs have effect on the Southeast Asia people. Although the precise time is hard to determine, it was well underway around the time of Christ and continued to the modern age. (module2, II. Indian Cultural Influences and the Indianization of Southeast Asia) There are three religions, Primitive belief, Hinduism and Buddhism. In the two or three century BC, India and Southeast Asia opened in waterway traffic, from then on, India Monks, businessman and in the local India disgraced noble emperor Lee, the Brahmin had arrived in Southeast Asia. India religious began to spread to Southeast Asia and had some impact. For example, In India, there were the origin and Garuda, the reason why Garuda and Naga is natural enemies, as well as the Garuda to save the mother's legend. Southeast Asia also expanded on the eagle and snake worship ideas. Also, today's Indonesia and Thailand emblem have the eagle Garuda image on it. India original of mountain worship also had become a very important worship in the Southeast Asian region. Buddhism, which spread into Southeast Asia almost in the same time with Brahmanism, coexisted with various religious in the 10 centuries. In Southeast Asia, different times have different sects rose and fell. They were alternative, living as one, or changeable. In first Century, when the Mahayana sect in India territory occurred, a strong momentum, performed in Southeast Asia, Buddhist influence mainly depended on Mahayana. After seventh Century, India Mahayana sects and Brahmanism part combined, Esoteric Buddhism which