India and Indonesia: cultural ties and integration

Introduction

In this blog, we shall dive deeper into India and Indonesia’s cultural traditional and societal aspect and highlight similarities existing in both countries today. In the previous blog we discovered historical aspect of both countries and how they have evolved, posing remarkable similarities and intertwining in their cultural practices.

Art and Architecture

The most evident aspect of any cultural assimilation can be in art and architecture of both nations. In Indonesia, the Indian architectural style is visible in their temples structure, monuments and its sculptural techniques. This Indian influence is highly due to the ancient times when Indian monks, traders, scholar and artist traveled to Indonesia that led to cultural exchange. Dance form of Indonesia also called Legong or Barong are traditional dance form, depicting stories from Hindu Mythology specially the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Spice trade and cuisine

Spice trades routes played vital role in today’s cultural assimilation and connectedness. This led to increasing interaction and growth in cultural, economic, religious and political aspects. This spice trade between the two nations had lasting impact on their cuisine as both nations are known for using very prominent spices such as cumin, turmeric, coriander, chili powder etc. in their day-to-day food giving not just bold tastes but also colour. Broadly, they share common tastes in food but the style of making cuisines and their names are distinct. 

Textile

The growth in interconnectedness also had influence on clothes and fabrics. The traditional attire reflects not just simplicity, vibrant colors but also cultural symbolism. Ikat which is yarn based resist dying technique is seen in both countries. In India, it is also known by different names like Patola, Bandhani etc. and resembles Indonesian Batik method.

 These all aspects continues to bind the people of both nations and political leaders continue to make an effort in fostering even closer ties. Today, Bali in Indonesia is popular travel destination among Indian tourist, count going up to millions tourist yearly. Among Indonesian tourist, they favor Varanasi and other religious places in India to trace their spiritual and cultural roots.

At CCD-NL we work towards spreading cultural awareness and practices in the Netherlands, specifically by looking at Indonesian weaving technique of Ikat. Through our workshop, projects and exhibitions we aim to build bridges of cultural understanding. For more information visit our website.

References-

Jalur Rempah (2020). The spice routes: The ancient trade routes as the center of human interactions. Blogs. https://jalurrempah.kemdikbud.go.id/en/article/the-spice-routes-the-ancient-trade-routes-as-the-center-of-human-interactions-7359