• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.263-297
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• 2010

The relics of the Southeast Asian civilizations in the first phase are found with the relics from India, China, and even further West of Persia and Rome. These relics are the historic marks of the ancient interactions of various continents, mainly through the maritime trade. The traces of the indic culture, which appears in the historic age, are represented in the textual records and arts, regarded as the essence of the India itself. The ancient Hindu arts found in various locations of Southeast Asia were thought to be transplanted directly from India. However, Neither did the Gupta Hindu Art of India form the mainstream of the Gupta Art, nor did it play an influential role in the adjacent areas. The Indian culture was transmitted to Southeast Asia rather intermittently than consistently. If we thoroughly compare the early Hindu art of India and that of Southeast Asia, we can find that the latter was influenced by the former, but still sustained Southeast Asian originality. The reason that the earliest Southeast Asian Hindu art is discovered mostly in continental Southeast Asia is resulted from the fact that the earliest networks between India and the region were constructed in this region. Among the images of Hindu gods produced before the 7th century are Shiva, Vishnu, Harihara, and Skanda(the son of Shiva), and Ganesha(the god of wealth). The earliest example of Vishnu was sculpted according to the Kushan style. After that, most of the sculptures came to have robust figures and graceful proportions. There are a small number of images of Ganesha and Skanda. These images strictly follow the iconography of the Indian sculpture. This shows that Southeast Asians chose their own Hindu gods from the Hindu pantheon selectively and devoted their faiths to them. Their basic iconography obediently followed the Indian model, but they tried to transform parts of the images within the Southeast Asian contexts. However, it is very difficult to understand the process of the development of the Hindu faith and its contents in the ancient Southeast Asia. It is because there are very few undamaged Hindu temples left in Southeast Asia. It is also difficult to make sure that the Hindu religion of India, which was based on the complex rituals and the caste system, was transplanted to Southeast Asia, because there were no such strong basis of social structure and religion in the region. "Indianization" is an organized expansion of the Indian culture based on the sense of belonging to an Indian context. This can be defined through the process of transmission and progress of the Hindu or Buddhist religions, legends about purana, and the influx of various epic expression and its development. Such conditions are represented through the Sanskrit language and the art. It is the element of the Indian culture to fabricate an image of god as a devotional object. However, if we look into details of the iconography, style, and religious culture, these can be understood as a "selective reception of foreign religious culture." There were no sophisticated social structure yet to support the Indian culture to continue in Southeast Asia around the 7th century. Whether this phenomena was an "Indianization" or the "influx of elements of Indian culture," it was closely related to the matter of 'localization.' The regional character of each local region in Southeast Asia is partially shown after the 8th century. However it is not clear whether this culture was settled in each region as its dominant culture. The localization of the Indian culture in Southeast Asia which acted as a network connecting ports or cities was a part of the process of localization of Indian culture in pan-Southeast Asian region, and the process of the building of the basis for establishing an identity for each Southeast Asian region.

• Acta Via Serica
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.69-88
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• 2017

Since the beginning of the human world, man has tried to prove his presence on the earth. Wherever he moved, he left his marks in different forms. Whether he lived in caves, in open spaces or in-built structures, he left evidence in art form, the earliest of which are the cave paintings found in various regions of the world. These transformed into open spaces where man carved and painted images and writings on rock faces and boulders. Although Pakistan provided an early home to such art forms, they have been discovered in Kashmir for the first time and will be revealed in this paper. In the present survey, a great number of rock art sites were found and documented in detail. These rock art sites display the earliest communities who settled down or traveled through the region, highlighting their thoughts, beliefs and practices. The tentative chronology of these rock art sites ranges from Neolithic to Hindu periods, creating an interesting mosaic in the historic profile of Kashmir.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.1215-1226
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• 1997

Textiles in Bali have traditionally played a vital role in the social economic and religious life of the people. Textiles defined the status of the individual in term of both costume and wealth. Use of the various textiles is in Balinese tradition dictated primarily by rules of the Hindu-Balinese faith. Cloths and clothing are employed in worship of God and the ancestors. Gold songket patterned textiles are perceived as symbol of wealth and prestige and provide a fitting display of affluence at important cerenlonial events. The specialized pieces of clothing, temple banners and hangings are unique to each tribal group ranging from weft -patterned textiles in Bali. The impact of Indian ideas and techniques was important in the field of textiles, and many of the characteristics in Bali's fabric design derived from Hindu-Buddhist mythology that has furnished subject-matter for songket textile art. The purpose of this study is to examine the background of Balinese culture and to define the characteristics of Hindu-Balinese textiles. The songket textile design also analyzes by examing the techniques of songket weaving and the meaning of design, pattern, and motif. Many design and motifs convey important messages significant only to those familiar with the particular social religious principle of people who have produced them. It is only by seeing cloths in their cultural context that we can begin to understand their true value and meaning.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.89-110
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• 2021

The Ramayana is a very popular epic in Southeast Asia. It is the story of King Rama who must save his kidnapped wife, Sita. After Sita was abducted by the Demon King Ravana (Tosakanth) and taken to Lanka, Rama and his brother rescued her with the help of the monkey warriors, especially with the help of the Monkey King Hanuman. Along the way, the epic teaches Hindu life lessons. Today The Ramayana is told and retold through literature, theatre, orally, in movies, and is referenced in many other forms of popular culture. Nowadays, in Thailand, Ravana and Hanuman deconstruct the role of divine and become folk deities that also find their places in calendar art, advertising and stamps, etc. And in Vietnam, Ravana and Hanuman have become the two figures that can't be absent from Southern Vietnam Khmer ceremonies. In this article, our aim is to show how Ravana and Hanuman became symbols of popular culture (case studies in Thailand and Vietnam). The data provided in this article is drawn from field surveys with reliable reference resources.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.57 no.10
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• pp.129-141
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• 2007

In the cultural realm of Hinduism centering around India, traditional costumes such as Sari, and Dhoti are worn up to date under the influence of religious faith, tradition, and fundamentalism. The purpose of this study is to clarify the religious meaning of unstitched traditional Indian costume and inquire into the figurative beauty of it. This study revolved around India, and the aesthetic feature affected by hinduism was examined based on the literature references and the figurative feature and aesthetic value of unstitched costume were analyzed. The most important feature of Indian costume is the unstitched costume without joining pieces of cloth by using a needle and thread, symbolizing the purity based on the cosmology of Hindu. In the unstitched costume of India, natural drapery that is the large cloth, slipped or tied on body, wrapping it affluently, is emphasized. Unstitched costume of India, based on cosmology of Hindu and the concept of purity, is still broadly worn by people under the influence of fundamentalism and conservative atmosphere. Religious idea is expressed and a beauty of concealment, emphasizing the chastity, is shown in the unstitched costume of India, while a beauty of nature is distinctively revealed in the non-structural and asymmetric drapery costume due to the unique wearing style. In addition, 'A beauty of symbolism' appears in the wearing method, color, the part of wearing, and ornament. Religion has affected overall culture that is inclusive art, aesthetics, and social structure and has contributed to the formulation of costume style. Unstitched costume of India is the unique tradition of India and identity, based on the religious idea.

• Acta Via Serica
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.95-104
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• 2016

The Silk Route in ancient times served as a link between the World's greatest civilizations and as a source of knowledge, art, religion and philosophy. This network of ancient caravan paths formed the first bridge between East and West, where two different civilizations came in contact with their respective cultural traditions and religious beliefs, as well as their scientific and technological achievements. One of the main routes of the Great Silk Route passed through the Karakoram, linking Kashgar with Kashmir and the Gandhara regions. The Karakoram Highway connects the Chinese province with Pakistan and follows the ancient Silk Route, which connected the Heartlands of Asia with the Western fringes and further beyond the entire continent of Europe. Evidences of the history of humankind, ranging from Pre-historic times to the spread of Buddhism from South Asia to China and the Far East, is depicted in the rocky cliffs on the waysides and on rough boulders scattered in the upper valley of the Indus River and its tributaries. The ancient trade routes also carried scholars, teachers, missionaries and monks of different beliefs and practices, who met and exchanged ideas. The Buddhists as well as Zoroastrians and other missionaries all followed the Silk Route, leaving permanent footprints of their passage. The ancient greater Gandhara is situated in the North-West of the Indian Sub-continent, with the steep mountain ranges of the Karakoram, the Pamir and the Hindu-Kush bordering it and the dry areas of Central Asia to its rear. A number of races from Central Asia migrated to Gandhara because of its mild climate and plentiful farm products and fruits. This area was an entry point of Western Culture into India and at the same times the exit point of Indian Culture, including Buddhism, to the West. In Gandhara, the diffusion of different cultures developed an art form, during the 1-7th centuries CE commonly known after its geographic name as "Gandhara Art". The Buddhism's route of introduction into China originated in Gandhara, then reached in Korea and Japan and other countries. The fame of Gandhara however, rested on its capital, "Taxila" which was a great centre of learning. From the time of the Achaemenians, down through Muslim period, Gandhara continued to establish and maintain a link between East & West, as shown by material evidences recovered from Taxila and other Buddhist centres of Gandhara during the course of archaeological excavations.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.297-306
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• 2004

Mehndi, becoming a kind of body fashion in western advanced countries nowadays, is a exquisite, classical fashion form sublimated to traditional faith, medicine and designing art. As one of the cultural arts, especially transmitted by women, a individual tradition of the way how to do the mehndi and the design has been handed down from one culture to another over a thousand of years and it is extensively using in many area, all around world today. Mehndi was used as preparing for special events or celebrations in India, Africa, Central Asia in order to pray for happiness, good luck and calm hart 5000 years ago. Especially, it is concerned with romantic love or a wedding and takes important part of a traditional wedding reception and bride adorning in the culture of Hindu or Islam. In addition to adorning skin, mehndi has various symbols, meaning, function, that is, as a speechless language, in several cultures, it has common meaning such as attraction, protection, celebration. The design of mehndi has been in harmony with the figure, colors, skin types of the dress or the ornament. According to the region, religion, design, mehndi is divided into the design of India and Morocco mostly. Indian design mainly shows flowers and paisley pattern, people widely recognize this design to celebrate and adorn bride in wedding ceremony, still apply mehndi the present time. Moroccan mehndi design, representing North Africa, characterized a bold geometrical figure which stands for belief in living under the protection from supernatural power. Through the understanding of these various meaning, function, symbolism of the design, adorning their body, the current general public use mehndi as not only aesthetic means but also another self expression.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.758-769
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to analyze the traditional embroidery in India by region based on Bourdieu's cultural theory. As the research methods for this study, literature and case studies were conducted. The results of the study are summarized as follows. First, India's regions could be divided into four distinct regions based on language and religion. The main concepts of Bourdieu's cultural theory, namely the sub-dimensions of field and habitus, were the field of social system, the field of goods & economy, the field of environment/region, culture, and ethnicity. Second, Eastern India's embroidery was influenced by Hinduism and traditional art. The embroidery used various fabrics such as the Applique work, and vivid colors and patterns were mainly used in the Hindu myths, animals, and flower patterns of the embroidery. Third, embroidery in Western India was influenced by exotic cultures like Persian due to geographical conditions, and embroidery via the use of gold threads and various ornaments was developed. Symbolized flower patterns and geometric patterns were used a lot in the respective embroidery. Fourth, embroidery in southern India was influenced by the Dravidian culture and their architectural style, which saw the emergence of an embroidery that used simple colored cross-stitch. Most of the patterns in this embroidery are geometricized. Fifth, Northern Indian embroidery has historically served as the center of power, resulting in an embroidery that uses various forms and materials. In this embroidery, flower patterns are mainly used. Finally, the characteristics of the traditional embroidery of India's each region is based on Bourdieu's cultural theory, which could be summarized as ethnic religiosity, exotic splendor, structural formality, and symbolic power.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.166-185
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• 2015

Recently, as an enonomic importance of the Eurasian Continent raises, the necessity of east-west connecting ancient transport roads research is increasing. Although domestic research of eastern-western international exchange in the Eurasia is not yet very active, the studies of history, archaeology, art history, folklore, costume history have been advanced steadily. An attention for the exchange through steppe route originated from the interest in Korean folk and Korean culture and the research range is extending to Xiungnu, Kurgan culture as a direct investigation on the remains of Mongolia and Kazakhstan has been achieved constantly. The art history has been leading the research of exchange which is based on desert and oasis. The field research of Iran, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc progressed in various routes, and the research on diverse topics including Silla's golden culture, transmission of glass, and the Buddhism is improving. Research on the maritime silk road is weaker, compared to other parts. Buddhist and Hindu temples of Southeast Asia attracted some interest to people, but the research should focus on the restoration of sea route and consideration of its meaning. Research of this part is expected to be more activative, as domestic researchers investigate Don Son culture and Sa Huynh culture of Vietnam by themselves. From now on, we should focus on topics that are not directly connected to Korean history, and Korean culture. Because it is also our duty to study and conserve the culture of entire human community.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.57-90
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• 2012

This essay is for a study on the survey of buddhist cultural literary document about the Southeast Asia by Nanqishu(南齊書), Liangshu(梁書), Chiu T'angshu(舊唐書), Hsin T'ang shu(新唐書) which are included in the Chinese Official History and Jí-shénzhōu-sānbăo-găntōng-lù(集神州三寶感通錄), Weioshu Shilao Ji (魏書 釋老志). These documents allows us to imagine next some historical states. First, these documents are recording this area, especially Funan, as a plentiful diggings of gold, silver, tin, copper, etc. These are important materials for gilt bronze sculptures. Further, this local produced gold called 'Yangmai(楊邁)' is recognized as same as Zĭmòjīn(紫磨金) in china, and these documents explains the process of producing the bronze images and golden ornaments in Southeast Asia. Specially, this plentiful materials leads them to make a 10 wei(圍) tall golden-silver image which worshiped as hindu god or sometimes buddhist images. Second, Vietnam and Funan in Northern and Southern Dynasty periods were in antagonistic relationship not only in the political but also in religious between Vietnamese Hinduism and Funan's Buddhism. Under this situation, the monk Nagaxian(那伽仙) who had came from India was accredited to Southern Qi court as a delegate to build a good relationship by the common religion Buddhism. It means the Buddhism of Southeast Asia also took a role of diplomacy. Third, these documents proved the active Southeast Asian cultural exchange in early 3th century. At this time, Funan delegate Suwu(蘇物) visited the court of Kushan Dynasty in India and he is seemed to travel the city of Pātaliputra. It oppressed us to extend our outlook which have been restricted in the relationship between Southern india and Southeast Asia to more broaden area. In addition, the buddhist art of Southern India and Bodhgaya temple was imported to Southeast Asia directly to send to Southern China. For example, the wooden buddha image, Bodhgaya stupa image, and Sri Lanka style's buddha images are looked be introduced to Southern China at this time throughout the Southeast Asia. At last, we got to know that the court music of Kucha in the northern silk route was imported to the Southeast Asia in early middle age. Even it may be introduced by China, but this document is very important to make the surmise is not unreasonable that the buddhist culture of northern silk route imported to the Southeast Asia accompanied with Kucha music. The buddha images in Gandharan style which are excavated from some site of Southeast Asia may demonstrate this literary sources is authentic.