Indianisation also known as Indianization, may refer to the spread of Indian languages, culture, diaspora, cuisines, economic reach and impact.

History

Ancient era

Indianisation took place in Southeast Asia mainly from the first millennium onwards through trade and religion.

Colonial era

The term Indianisation was used in British India to describe the inclusion of native people in running India. For example, the Indian Armed Force began to Indianise in 1917. In the early 20th century, discourse around Indianisation also revolved around the emerging scholarship on an ancient

Greater India Greater India, also known as the Indian cultural sphere, or the Indic world, is an area composed of several countries and regions in South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia that were historically influenced by Indian culture, which itself ...

and the possibility to re-assert India's value and independence. Initially, the theory considered it likely that Indians had colonised Southeast Asia in developing it, though later it became clear that influence occurred mainly through trade and peaceful contact.

Indian cultural influence

Historical spread of

Indian culture Indian culture is the heritage of social norms and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse nation of India, pertaining to the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and the Republic of India post-1947. ...

beyond India proper: *

Indomania Indomania or Indophilia refer to the special interest that India, Indians and their cultures and traditions have generated across the world, more specifically among the cultures and civilisations of the Indian subcontinent, as well those of t ...

or Indophilia refers to the special interest that Indian culture has generated in the world, more specifically the western world. *

Indosphere Indosphere is a term used for areas of Indian subcontinent, Indian linguistic influence in the neighboring Southern Asian, Southeast Asian, and East Asian regions. It is commonly used in areal linguistics in contrast with the Sinophone languages ...

Sanskritisation Sanskritisation (or Sanskritization) is a term in sociology which refers to the process by which castes or tribes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the dominant castes or upper c ...

*** List of Sanskrit-related topics * Indianisation of Southeast Asia ** Indianised kingdom ** History of Indian influence on Southeast Asia *** Sanskrit inscriptions in the Malay world *** South-East Asia campaign of Rajendra Chola ***

Chola invasion of Srivijaya In 1025 CE, the Chola Emperor Rajendra I launched naval invasions on Srivijaya in maritime Southeast Asia, leading to the fall of the Sailendra Dynasty of Srivijaya. Rajendra's overseas expedition against Srivijaya was a unique event in In ...

***

Indian influences in early Philippine polities The Indian influences in early Philippine polities, particularly the influence of the Srivijaya and Majapahit Thalassocracy, thalassocracies on cultural development, is a significant area of research for scholars of Philippine, Indonesian, and Sou ...

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

or Indies in Southeast Asia under Indian cultural influence, e.g. Indonesia and Philippines **

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

, Indianised Southeast Asia under French colonial rule

Indian inventions & STEM influence

* List of Indian inventions and discoveries * Indian numeral system, disseminated from India to Arabia and then to Europe. * STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Indian influence, India produces world's highest per capita ratio (1 in every 52 graduates) & second largest number (2.6 million in 2016) of STEM graduates every year. ** Prominent Indians in STEM in USA

Indian soft power

Global spread of Indian

soft power In politics (and particularly in international politics), soft power is the ability to co-option, co-opt rather than coerce (in contrast with hard power). It involves shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. Soft power is ...

: * Medical tourism in India **

Ayurveda Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

Siddha medicine Siddha medicine is a form of traditional medicine originating in southern India. It is one of the oldest systems of medicine in India. The Indian Medical Association regards Siddha medicine degrees as "fake" and Siddha therapies as quackery, ...

Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

* India - one of the major ancient great powers * Global influence of India's: **

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

Cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...

*** Influence on Southeast Asian cuisine **

Martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

, especially on Southeast Asian martial arts ** Movies and Bollywood **

Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

** Physical culture * India at the Big Four international beauty pageants * Indianisation of British Colonial India's bureaucracy

Names

* Global influence of India in names of people * Global influence of India in names of places * Influence of Indian honorifics in Southeast Asia ** Filipino ** Indonesian ** Malay ** Thai * Renaming of cities in India, for

decolonisation Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby Imperialism, imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. The meanings and applications of the term are disputed. Some scholar ...

and re-indianisation of city names

Indian economic impact on the world

Impact of

Economy of India The economy of India is a Developing country, developing mixed economy with a notable public sector in strategic sectors. * * * * It is the world's fourth-largest economy by gross domestic product, nominal GDP and the third-largest by purch ...

world economy The world economy or global economy is the economy of all humans in the world, referring to the global economic system, which includes all economic activities conducted both within and between nations, including production (economics), producti ...

as well as

globalisation Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...

: * Current GDP (PPP), India is ranked on 3rd place * Current Nominal GDP, India is ranked on 5th place * Current GDP growth rate, India is ranked among top 7 * Current top recipient of remittance, India is ranked on 1st place for last several years **

Remittances to India Remittances to India are money transfers (called remittance) from non-resident Indians (NRIs) employed outside the country to family, friends or relatives residing in India. India is the world's top receiver of remittances, claiming more than ...

** Foreign-exchange reserves of India * Production in India, one of the top producer and consumer country ** Among top 2 largest producer of most mineral, metals, and fuel types ** Among top 3 largest producer of fisheries harvest ** Among top 5 largest producer of most agricultural and dairy commodities *

Foreign trade of India Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...

** Exports of India ***

Business process outsourcing to India Business process outsourcing to India refers to the business process outsourcing services in the outsourcing industry in India, catering mainly to Western operations of multinational corporations (MNCs). As of 2012, around 2.8 million people w ...

***

H-1B visa The H-1B is a foreign worker visa in the United States that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in so-called specialty occupations. The regulation and implementation of the visa program is carried out by the United States Citizenship ...

, over 80% of all these visas are granted to Indian IT professionals **

Pharmaceutical industry in India The pharmaceutical industry in India was valued at an estimated US$50 billion in FY 2023-24 and is estimated to reach $130 billion by 2030. India is the world's largest provider of generic medicines by volume, with a 20% share of total global ...

Indian diaspora

Global Indian diaspora is world's largest diaspora, which includes NRIs, OCI, PIO, and mixed races: *

Indian diaspora Overseas Indians (ISO 15919, ISO: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origin (PIOs) are people of Indian descent who reside or originate outside of India (Including those that were directly under the British Raj). Acc ...

(PIO and NRI), world's largest diaspora ** Overseas Citizenship of India ** List of heads of state and government of Indian origin, Indian diaspora's influence on policy making of other nations ** List of foreign politicians of Indian origin, Indian diaspora's influence on policy making of other nations * British colonial era diaspora **

Coolies Coolie (also spelled koelie, kouli, khuli, khulie, kuli, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a pejorative term used for low-wage labourers, typically those of Indian or Chinese descent. The word ''coolie'' was first used in the 16th century by Europ ...

Girmityas Girmitiyas, (Kaithi: ) also known as Jahajis, were indentured labourers from British India transported to work on plantations in Fiji, South Africa, Mauritius, and the Caribbean (namely Trinidad and Tobago, British Guiana, Suriname and Jamaica) a ...

, and Indian indentured labourers, such as

Indian South Africans Indian South Africans are South Africans who descend from indentured labourers and free migrants who arrived from British Raj, British India during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The majority live in and around the city of Durban, making it ...

Malaysian Indians Indo-Malaysians are Malaysian of South Asian ancestry. Most are descendants of those who migrated from India to British Malaya from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries. Most Malaysian Indians are ethnic Tamils; smaller groups include the M ...

Indo-Caribbeans Indo-Caribbean or Indian-Caribbean people are people from the Caribbean who trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent. They are descendants of the Girmityas, Jahaji Indian indenture system, indentured laborers from British Raj, British India ...

Indo-Fijians Indo-Fijians () are Fijians of South Asian descent whose ancestors were Girmitiyas, indentured labourers. Indo-Fijians trace their ancestry to various regions of the Indian subcontinent. Although Indo-Fijians constituted a majority of Fiji's ...

Mauritians of Indian origin Indo-Mauritians are Mauritians who trace their ethnic ancestry to the Republic of India or other parts of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia now known as Nepal and Pakistan. History During the administration of the French East India Compa ...

, Indian diaspora in Southeast Africa,

Indian Singaporeans Indian Singaporeans are Singaporeans of Indian people, Indian or of general South Asian diaspora, South Asian ancestor, ancestry. They constitute approximately 9.0% of the country's residents, making them the third largest ancestry and ethnic ...

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people are a distinct minority group, minority community of mixed-race British and Indian ancestry. During the colonial period, their ancestry was defined as British paternal and Indian maternal heritage; post-independence, "Angl ...

s, such as

Eurasians in Singapore Eurasia or Eurasian may refer to: *Eurasia, landmass containing the traditional continents of Europe and Asia **Eurasian Plate, a tectonic plate **Eurasian Steppe, an ecoregion ***Eurasian nomads * People having Multiracial people, mixed European a ...

Irish Indians An Irish Indian is either an Indian-born person who is fully or partially of Irish descent, or an Irish-born person who is fully or partially of Indian descent. As per article 366(2) of the Indian Constitution, an Irish Indian can be categori ...

, Luso-Indian,

Macanese people The Macanese people (, ) are a multiracial East Asian ethnic group that originated in Macau in the 16th century, consisting of people of predominantly mixed Cantonese and Portuguese as well as Malay, Japanese, Sinhalese, and Indian anc ...

Scottish-Indian Scottish-Indians are Indian citizens of mixed Indian and Scots ancestry or people of Scottish descent born or living in India. Like Irish Indians, a Scottish-Indian can be categorized as an Anglo-Indian. Scottish Indians celebrate Scottish cul ...

** * Other mixed diaspora ** Chinese Indians **

Dougla Dougla people (plural ''Dougla’s'') is the term used to describe Caribbean people who are of mixed Afro-Caribbean and Indo-Caribbean. Definition The word ''Dougla'' originated from dogala (), which is a Caribbean Hindustani word that literall ...

** Seychellois Creole people **

South Asian diaspora The South Asian diaspora, also known as the Desi diaspora, is the group of people whose ancestral origins lie in South Asia, but who live outside the region. There are over 44 million people in this diaspora. Endonyms South Asians in the diaspo ...

* Indian-origin religions diaspora: ** Buddhist diaspora:

Tibetan diaspora The Tibetan diaspora is the relocation of Tibetan people from Tibet, their land of origin, to other nation states to live as exiles and refugees in communities. The diaspora of Tibetan people began in the early 1950s, peaked after the 1959 Tibe ...

** Hindu diaspora:

Bengali Hindu diaspora Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the ...

** Jain diaspora **

Sikh diaspora The Sikh diaspora is the modern Sikh migration from the traditional area of the Punjab region of South Asia. Sikhism is a religion native to this region. The Sikh diaspora is largely a subset of the Punjabi diaspora. The diaspora is commonly ...

* Foreign-origin religions diaspora of overseas Indians ** Jews: Bnei Menashe Mizo-Manipuri diaspora * Global influence of Indian diaspora organisations and lobby groups **

Global Organization for People of Indian Origin Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) is an international network of Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin, people of Indian origin (PIO). History GOPIO was founded at the First Global Convention of People of Indian Origi ...

** Indian origin politicians in other nations

References

{{Cultural assimilation Cultural assimilation Culture of India Indosphere