Essay:
The History of Hinduism and Islam in Indonesia: A Review on Western Perspective
By Mohd. Zariat Abdul Rani

This article takes as its starting point the early observation that describes the vastness of the research corpus on the cultural history of Indonesia. The vastness of this corpus is, among other things, contributed to by the writings of Western scholars. Among those that are considered classics and frequently used as important references are De Hindoe-Javaansche Tijd by N.J. Krom (1950), Nusantara: A History of Indonesia by Bernard H.M. Vlekke (1959), and Indonesia: Trade and Society by J.C. Van Leur (1955). Initial readings find that these Western scholars’ writings often raise the question of the role and contribution of Hinduism and Islam in Indonesia. This draws attention to their views and standpoint as Westerners on the history of Indonesian culture, especially in the context of comparison between Hinduism and Islam. This article is written with the purpose of discussing the role and contribution of Islam and Hinduism in the history of Indonesia according to the perspective of three Western scholars, namely N.J. Krom, Bernard H.M. Vlekke and J.C. Van Leur in the writings mentioned above. This discussion finds that these writings studied are more inclined to acknowledge the significance of the role and contribution of Hinduism in the history of Indonesian culture, with the presence of Islam said to have not reduced the influence of Hinduism.

Read more:

http://bit.ly/Q0nG3t

Image:
This ceremonial hanging shows a scene from the Hindu epic the Ramayana (‘the story of Rama’). Here Prince Rama and the demon king Ravana confront each other, together with their respective armies of monkeys and bears.

Although related in technique and style to south Indian temple cloths, these Ramayana cloths are unique to Indonesia. Here they have been mostly recorded in Sulawesi and Bali. Some bear the stamp of the VOC, the initials of the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie). This indicates that they were manufactured pre-1800 as the trading Company went into liquidation in 1799.

Copyright: © V&A Imageshttps://dailydigesthub.com">CLICK NOW!