Postclassical India

c. 600 to c. 1450Postclassical IndiaPolitical fragmentation

India was mostly decentralized through most of the post-classical age, though it exerted strong economic and cultural influences across south and southeast Asia.caste system and Hinduism in south AsiaHinduism, Buddhism and eventually Islam to SE Asia via trade1) Sind (the Indus River Valley) remained nominally under the jurisdiction of caliphs from 700s to 1200s (first the Umayyads, then after 750 the Abbasids).Islam to India via three routes2) Islam infiltrated the coastal regions of northern and southern India as Muslim merchants dominated trade and transportation networks, setting up diasporic communities in major port cities, where they played prominent roles in commercial life and married local women.Islam to India via three routesMigrations and invasions of Turkish-speaking peoples from central AsiaMahmud of Ghazni (1001-1027): plundered and demolished hundreds of sites associated with Hindu or Buddhist faiths in northern India, hastening the decline of Buddhism in the land of its birthIslam to India via three routesMigrations and invasions of Turkish-speaking peoples from central AsiaMahmuds successors later established the Delhi Sultanate in northern India (1206-1526), which built mosques, shrines and fortresses but imposed only a thin veneer of Islamic political and military authorityIslam to India via three routesExplain the three main ways in which Islam became implanted on the Indian subcontinent.Islam to India via three routes The Delhi Sultanate had no permanent bureaucracy or administrative apparatus or even firm control of its own court: more than half of its 35 sultans were assassinated! Despite commanding an army of 300,000 men, they depended on the goodwill of local Hindu kings to carry out their policies.The weak Delhi SultanateIslamic conquerors offered little incentive for Indians to convert to Islam, but gradually many did. By 1500, about one-fourth of Indias 100 million inhabitants were Muslim. Many especially among the lower Hindu castes adopted Islam in hopes of improving their status in society. Sometimes whole castes or subcastes converted en masse.Islam and its appealWhy couldnt the Delhi Sultanate exert a strong influence over northern India?Around the time of Columbus, what percentage of Indias population had converted to Islam and why?Do you recall?The bhakti movement was a cult of love and devotion that ultimately sought to erase the distinction between Hinduism and Islam. Emerging in southern India in the 12th century, the movement initially promoted a pious devotion to Hindu values but evolved, as it moved northward and encountered more Muslims, to reject the exclusive features of both religions and teach that Shiva, Vishnu and Allah were all manifestations of a single, universal deity. It built bridges but failed to harmonize Hinduism and Islam.The bhakti movementCompare the bhakti movement to some other syncretic belief system that youve learned about emerging elsewhere in the world.Compare it to India south of the Deccan Plateau largely escaped the invasions, chronic war and turmoil that plagued the subcontinents north but a coherent, distinctive society flourished on the basis of trade, common social structures and inherited cultural traditions.Southern IndiaIndias caste system adapted to the arrival of Turkish peoples and Muslim merchants by recognizing them as distinct groups and establishing codes of conduct to regulate their dealings with other castes.Caste and Indian societyThe castes that most people identified with were the subcastes (jati), which often took the form of workers guilds. Merchant guilds representing the common interests of those working in particular types of commerce, such as the silk, cotton or spice trades in particular wielded political and economic influence.Caste and Indian societyAnchoring the center of the Indian Ocean basin, India was a natural site for emporia and warehouses a clearinghouse for the increasingly heavy oceanic trade of the postclassical era. India gained a reputation for high-quality cotton textiles; China produced silk and porcelain; SE Asia provided fine spices; SW Asia traded in incense, horses and dates; East Africa contributed gold, ivory and slaves.Indian emporiaIndias influence on SE Asia

The temple complex dedicated to Vishnu at Angkor Wat reflects the deep influence of Indian traditions in southeast Asia.Islam maintained a quiet presence in SE Asia for several centuries before ruling elites became interested in the faith. Its spread was greatly facilitated when the powerful state of Melaka sponsored it throughout the region beginning in the 15th century.Islams arrival in Southeast AsiaMelaka

Melaka began as a Hindu state before converting to Islam. It welcomed theologians, Sufis and other Islamic authorities.Its navy patrolled the regions waters, guarding against piracy, and compelled ships to call at its port, levying taxes on their cargoes.

How did southern Indias history differ from northern Indias history? What have you learned about the development of Indias caste system through the Middle Ages?Do you recall?Explain Indias role in the Indian Ocean Maritime System.Show off what youve learned about Indias contributions to the development of Southeast Asian history during the Middle Ages and what political change during the 15th century helps to explain why Indonesia now has more Muslims than any other nation.

Do you recall?