Civilizational bonds of Hinduised states of the Ancient Far East
Mirror: https://www.academia.edu/12430339/Civilizational_bonds_of_Hinduised_states_of_the_Ancient_Far_East
The only instance in World History of peaceful spread of a civilization was recorded in the Ancient Far East. This extraordinary narrative is provided in a scintillating work by a French Epigraphist, George Coedes in a tour de force titled Histoire ancienne desétats hindouises d'Extrême Orient,1944; English trs Hinduised States of Far East.
The spread of the civilization is a chronicle founded on Dharma-Dhamma gestalt which can interpreted as: structure, configuration, or pattern of physical, biological, or metaphysical phenomena.
Dharma-Dhamma gestalt finds expression in many cultural facets recorded in many nations along the Indian Ocean Rim. It is an apt recognition of this geographical reality that an Indian Ocean Rim Association was founded in Mauritius on 7 March 1997 and now claims membership of 20 states including Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailans, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. A category of 6 dialogue partners participating in this community are: China, Egypt, France, Japan, United Kingdom and United States. All these 26 states together have participated in the development initiatives of over 2 billion people of the Indian Ocean Community, representing almost one-third of the world population.
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How did the idea of an Indian Ocean Community (IOC) take shape in history?
As we venture into the mists of pre-history, only snippets of indicators can be gleaned, but there is an over-arching environmental reality exexmplified by three natural phenomena: 1. Plate tectonics resulting in the dynamic Himalayas; 2. Super eruption of Mount Toba; 3. Monsoon Asia. Each of these phenomena have inexorably shaped the cultures of the nations of IOC.
Dynamic Himalayas
Plate tectonics are related to the continental drift with the Indian plate sheared from African landmass and moving at a majestic rate of about 6 cms. every year northwards jutting into the Eurasian Plate and lifting it up like Varaaha resulting the dynamics of growing Himalayas which grow taller by about 1 cm. every year. The presence of the Himalayan ranges meant the accumulation of monsoon waters as snow and ice frozen into glaciers and melting down as some of the largest river systems of the globe: Brahmaputra (Tsangpo), Sindhu, Ganga, Mekong, Irrawaddy, Salween, Huanghe, Yangtse. All these river systems originate from the heights of the Tibetan plateau near Manasarovar and other glacier locations. In cultural terms, the glacier lake is located at the foothills of Mount Kailas which is presided over by Divinity Siva. The abiding metaphor is that of Siva holding the rivers in his locks of hair and releasing the rivers such as Ganga. The veneration of this natural phenomenon gets recorded as worship of Sivalinga to which puja is performed with continuous dripping of water from a pot held above, a prayer form called abhishekam. This is an evocation of the water-giving divinity, the Himalayas. The remarkable feature of the Himalayan dynamics is that since the ranges continue to grow taller due to seismotectonics, the water reservoir held as snow and ice in glaciers of Himalayas continues to grow in the quantity of water available to service the major river systems of the Indian Ocean Community. This natural phenomenon started earlier than a million years ago.
Toba supereruption and Tin Road of Bronze Age
The supervolcanic eruption of Mount Toba reportedly occurred ca. 69,000 - 77,000 years ago at the present-day Lake Toba in Sumatra, Indonesia. Linked to the eruption is a theory of a population bottleneck in human evolution. The reality of the eruption is recognized by the archaeologically attested ashfall of over 2800 cubic kilometres of erupted magma which spread all over the IOC region leaving behind a 15 cms. (6 in.) thick volcanic ash crust. This extraordinary natural event also leads to a refinement of a reconstruction of human migrations out of Africa along the Indian Ocean Rim. Clearly, there have been maritime movements of people of IOC with links to the Mediterranean, creating a Tin Road which preceded the famed Silk Road. The world's largest Tin Belt is located in Southeast Asia and accounts for the emergence of the Bronze Age revolution from ca. 5th millennium BCE with the production of tin-bronzes to replace naturally-occurring but scarce arsenical copper.
Monsoon Asia
The characteristic feature of monoon Asia which impacts IOC in the agricultural production activities of the IOC nations is that the wind currents flow clock-wise and anti-clockwise from the south and from the north during Summer and Winter months respectively. These clockwise wind currents affect the ocean currents in the tropical belt close to the Equator and result in virtual churning of the oceans, for example, near Ramasetu (between India and Sri Lanka) resulting in the deposition of placer deposits of rare earth minerals including monazite (thorium). Monsoon Asia is a phenomenon which explains the emergence of domestication of rice cultivation in Southeast Asia utilizing the Himalayan glacier waters flowing down rivers such as the Mekong. The monsoon wind currents also have influenced the maritime navigation patterns finally resulting in the discovery of a safe navigable route to connect IOC with the Mediterranean and the Levant in Europe. These seafaring artisans of IOC had established a Tin Road reaching the Tin resources from the world's largest Tin Belt to Europe, thus creating civilizational contacts between the Ancient Far East and the Ancient Near East. The Monsoon Asia together with Plate tectonics explains the history of Tsunamis which have devastated the nations along the Indian Ocean Rim; the most recent recorded tsunami occurred on December 26, 2004 triggered by a plate tectonic earhthquake with epicentre in Aceh, Indonesia.
![Asian Summer Monsoon]()
Summer Monsoon
![Asian Winter Monsoon]()
Winter monsoon
These three overwhelming natural phenomena have profoundly influenced the people of IOC in their gestalt which is signified by the veneration of Hindu divinities of Siva, Ganesa and Vishnu and veneration of Bauddham. Both Hindu-Bauddham world-views were governed by the cosmic order of Dharma-Dhamma as a recognition of both cosmic and consciousness phenomena resulting in the formulation of fundamental duties of citizens to support fellow citizens and to overcome the life-travails of sorrow (dukkha) in the quest for recognizing supreme bliss (nihsreyas) and uniting with the divine (paramatman). It is significant that both Dharma-Dhamma define the cosmic order in terms of two impacts: abhyudayam (welfare) and nihsreyas (bliss). This constituted the founding principle for the IOC recognized from centuries earlier (ca. 5th cent. BCE) to the turn of the Common Era as Hinduised States of the Far East. The date of ca. 5th cent. BCE is suggested based on the inscriptions in Samskritam discovered and reported by George Coedes. It is likely that the contacts between ancient India and ancient Far East predated these inscriptions got strengthened during the Bronze Age along the Tin Road which linked Hanoi, Vietnam and Haifa, Israel.
Possibilities for strengthening IOC Economic Community
Thanks to the painstaking work of professionals in United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), two projects have been formulated which have the potential to catapult the IOC nations with a phenomenal economic multiplier-effect. The projects are Trans-Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway linking Bangkok, Thailand and Vladivostok, Russia. Together with the projects to manage the Himalayan river waters through expanded irrigation projects such as the Mekong Delta Project with mutl-lateral support, the two infrastructure projects can help strengthen the trade bonds among the IOC nations apart from promoting cultural tourism among the nations of IOC.
The history of the formation of European Community provides the model for the formation of Indian Ocean Community. EC evolved out of two economic groupings called European Coal and Steel Community and European Atomic Energy Community. Similar Communities for facilitating Free Trade can be initiated in IOC. The nations of IOC are endowed with enormous solar energy, located as they are in the tropical zone of the globe. An additional Community of interests relate to the promotion of projects to harness IOC Solar Power. This can be augmented by the support from India of using her thorium reserves to benefit the IOC nations with thorium-based nuclear reactors to meet the energy needs of the IOC nations. With the satellite technologies available, the IOC nations can monitor the hydrological flows and the movements of aquatic resources identifying migrating schools of fish and other aquatic resources. Indian Ocean mineral resources are also an abundant source for opening up new avenues of additional employment generation in IOC nations.
Almost all IOC nations have been subjected to colonial imperial domination resulting in the stifling of local initiatives for development. One way to overcome the infirmities caused by the colonial loot of the wealth of IOC nations is to constitute IOC as a Free Trade Zone with free movement of labour force across the national boundaries to undertake new economic, entrepreneurial activities using the local natural resources and the wealth of the alluvial agricultural lands, apart from sharing the ocean resources taking advantage the new Law of the Sea which extends the territorial waters to 200 kms. from the coastline.
The nations of IOC are endowed with a solid historical, civilizational foundation of Dharma-Dhamma evidenced by the presence of Bauddham in almost all nations of IOC, the largest Vishnu temple of the globe in Angkor Wat, Cambodia and the celebration of Arjuna Wijaya by a magnificent sculptural edifice in front of the Central Bank of Indonesia; celebration of the unifying force of King Rama of Thailand -- an institution which rivals the Royalty of England; celebration of Sita Temple in Sri Lanka and restoration of Siva temple in My Son, Vietnam. The people of IOC have a common gestalt gmitigation of dukkha (sorrow) and suffering.
Together, IOC nations have a goal to reach, overcoming the infirmities created by the global order of colonial regimes which impoverished all these nations. The goal is to reach a fair share of the world GDP which existed in 1CE (pace Angus Maddison).
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S. Kalyanaraman
Sarasvati Research Center
May 18, 2015
Mirror: https://www.academia.edu/12430339/Civilizational_bonds_of_Hinduised_states_of_the_Ancient_Far_East
The only instance in World History of peaceful spread of a civilization was recorded in the Ancient Far East. This extraordinary narrative is provided in a scintillating work by a French Epigraphist, George Coedes in a tour de force titled Histoire ancienne desétats hindouises d'Extrême Orient,1944; English trs Hinduised States of Far East.
The spread of the civilization is a chronicle founded on Dharma-Dhamma gestalt which can interpreted as: structure, configuration, or pattern of physical, biological, or metaphysical phenomena.
Dharma-Dhamma gestalt finds expression in many cultural facets recorded in many nations along the Indian Ocean Rim. It is an apt recognition of this geographical reality that an Indian Ocean Rim Association was founded in Mauritius on 7 March 1997 and now claims membership of 20 states including Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailans, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. A category of 6 dialogue partners participating in this community are: China, Egypt, France, Japan, United Kingdom and United States. All these 26 states together have participated in the development initiatives of over 2 billion people of the Indian Ocean Community, representing almost one-third of the world population.
How did the idea of an Indian Ocean Community (IOC) take shape in history?
As we venture into the mists of pre-history, only snippets of indicators can be gleaned, but there is an over-arching environmental reality exexmplified by three natural phenomena: 1. Plate tectonics resulting in the dynamic Himalayas; 2. Super eruption of Mount Toba; 3. Monsoon Asia. Each of these phenomena have inexorably shaped the cultures of the nations of IOC.
Dynamic Himalayas
Plate tectonics are related to the continental drift with the Indian plate sheared from African landmass and moving at a majestic rate of about 6 cms. every year northwards jutting into the Eurasian Plate and lifting it up like Varaaha resulting the dynamics of growing Himalayas which grow taller by about 1 cm. every year. The presence of the Himalayan ranges meant the accumulation of monsoon waters as snow and ice frozen into glaciers and melting down as some of the largest river systems of the globe: Brahmaputra (Tsangpo), Sindhu, Ganga, Mekong, Irrawaddy, Salween, Huanghe, Yangtse. All these river systems originate from the heights of the Tibetan plateau near Manasarovar and other glacier locations. In cultural terms, the glacier lake is located at the foothills of Mount Kailas which is presided over by Divinity Siva. The abiding metaphor is that of Siva holding the rivers in his locks of hair and releasing the rivers such as Ganga. The veneration of this natural phenomenon gets recorded as worship of Sivalinga to which puja is performed with continuous dripping of water from a pot held above, a prayer form called abhishekam. This is an evocation of the water-giving divinity, the Himalayas. The remarkable feature of the Himalayan dynamics is that since the ranges continue to grow taller due to seismotectonics, the water reservoir held as snow and ice in glaciers of Himalayas continues to grow in the quantity of water available to service the major river systems of the Indian Ocean Community. This natural phenomenon started earlier than a million years ago.
Toba supereruption and Tin Road of Bronze Age
The supervolcanic eruption of Mount Toba reportedly occurred ca. 69,000 - 77,000 years ago at the present-day Lake Toba in Sumatra, Indonesia. Linked to the eruption is a theory of a population bottleneck in human evolution. The reality of the eruption is recognized by the archaeologically attested ashfall of over 2800 cubic kilometres of erupted magma which spread all over the IOC region leaving behind a 15 cms. (6 in.) thick volcanic ash crust. This extraordinary natural event also leads to a refinement of a reconstruction of human migrations out of Africa along the Indian Ocean Rim. Clearly, there have been maritime movements of people of IOC with links to the Mediterranean, creating a Tin Road which preceded the famed Silk Road. The world's largest Tin Belt is located in Southeast Asia and accounts for the emergence of the Bronze Age revolution from ca. 5th millennium BCE with the production of tin-bronzes to replace naturally-occurring but scarce arsenical copper.
Monsoon Asia
The characteristic feature of monoon Asia which impacts IOC in the agricultural production activities of the IOC nations is that the wind currents flow clock-wise and anti-clockwise from the south and from the north during Summer and Winter months respectively. These clockwise wind currents affect the ocean currents in the tropical belt close to the Equator and result in virtual churning of the oceans, for example, near Ramasetu (between India and Sri Lanka) resulting in the deposition of placer deposits of rare earth minerals including monazite (thorium). Monsoon Asia is a phenomenon which explains the emergence of domestication of rice cultivation in Southeast Asia utilizing the Himalayan glacier waters flowing down rivers such as the Mekong. The monsoon wind currents also have influenced the maritime navigation patterns finally resulting in the discovery of a safe navigable route to connect IOC with the Mediterranean and the Levant in Europe. These seafaring artisans of IOC had established a Tin Road reaching the Tin resources from the world's largest Tin Belt to Europe, thus creating civilizational contacts between the Ancient Far East and the Ancient Near East. The Monsoon Asia together with Plate tectonics explains the history of Tsunamis which have devastated the nations along the Indian Ocean Rim; the most recent recorded tsunami occurred on December 26, 2004 triggered by a plate tectonic earhthquake with epicentre in Aceh, Indonesia.
Summer Monsoon
Winter monsoon
These three overwhelming natural phenomena have profoundly influenced the people of IOC in their gestalt which is signified by the veneration of Hindu divinities of Siva, Ganesa and Vishnu and veneration of Bauddham. Both Hindu-Bauddham world-views were governed by the cosmic order of Dharma-Dhamma as a recognition of both cosmic and consciousness phenomena resulting in the formulation of fundamental duties of citizens to support fellow citizens and to overcome the life-travails of sorrow (dukkha) in the quest for recognizing supreme bliss (nihsreyas) and uniting with the divine (paramatman). It is significant that both Dharma-Dhamma define the cosmic order in terms of two impacts: abhyudayam (welfare) and nihsreyas (bliss). This constituted the founding principle for the IOC recognized from centuries earlier (ca. 5th cent. BCE) to the turn of the Common Era as Hinduised States of the Far East. The date of ca. 5th cent. BCE is suggested based on the inscriptions in Samskritam discovered and reported by George Coedes. It is likely that the contacts between ancient India and ancient Far East predated these inscriptions got strengthened during the Bronze Age along the Tin Road which linked Hanoi, Vietnam and Haifa, Israel.
Possibilities for strengthening IOC Economic Community
Thanks to the painstaking work of professionals in United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), two projects have been formulated which have the potential to catapult the IOC nations with a phenomenal economic multiplier-effect. The projects are Trans-Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway linking Bangkok, Thailand and Vladivostok, Russia. Together with the projects to manage the Himalayan river waters through expanded irrigation projects such as the Mekong Delta Project with mutl-lateral support, the two infrastructure projects can help strengthen the trade bonds among the IOC nations apart from promoting cultural tourism among the nations of IOC.
The history of the formation of European Community provides the model for the formation of Indian Ocean Community. EC evolved out of two economic groupings called European Coal and Steel Community and European Atomic Energy Community. Similar Communities for facilitating Free Trade can be initiated in IOC. The nations of IOC are endowed with enormous solar energy, located as they are in the tropical zone of the globe. An additional Community of interests relate to the promotion of projects to harness IOC Solar Power. This can be augmented by the support from India of using her thorium reserves to benefit the IOC nations with thorium-based nuclear reactors to meet the energy needs of the IOC nations. With the satellite technologies available, the IOC nations can monitor the hydrological flows and the movements of aquatic resources identifying migrating schools of fish and other aquatic resources. Indian Ocean mineral resources are also an abundant source for opening up new avenues of additional employment generation in IOC nations.
Overcoming the colonial infirmities to achieve fairshare of world GDP
Almost all IOC nations have been subjected to colonial imperial domination resulting in the stifling of local initiatives for development. One way to overcome the infirmities caused by the colonial loot of the wealth of IOC nations is to constitute IOC as a Free Trade Zone with free movement of labour force across the national boundaries to undertake new economic, entrepreneurial activities using the local natural resources and the wealth of the alluvial agricultural lands, apart from sharing the ocean resources taking advantage the new Law of the Sea which extends the territorial waters to 200 kms. from the coastline.
The nations of IOC are endowed with a solid historical, civilizational foundation of Dharma-Dhamma evidenced by the presence of Bauddham in almost all nations of IOC, the largest Vishnu temple of the globe in Angkor Wat, Cambodia and the celebration of Arjuna Wijaya by a magnificent sculptural edifice in front of the Central Bank of Indonesia; celebration of the unifying force of King Rama of Thailand -- an institution which rivals the Royalty of England; celebration of Sita Temple in Sri Lanka and restoration of Siva temple in My Son, Vietnam. The people of IOC have a common gestalt gmitigation of dukkha (sorrow) and suffering.
Together, IOC nations have a goal to reach, overcoming the infirmities created by the global order of colonial regimes which impoverished all these nations. The goal is to reach a fair share of the world GDP which existed in 1CE (pace Angus Maddison).
S. Kalyanaraman
Sarasvati Research Center
May 18, 2015