Why did India see a diminished role of influence in Southeast Asia and Eurasia in the eleventh century? Was this view true across all of India? Why or why not?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A. India's diminished role of influence
1. signs that from the eleventh century India's role in originating and recycling cultural influences began to diminish
a. northern India's political dissolution accompanied a decline in the quality and output of works of art and learning
b. large states that had filled most of the subcontinent since the early ninth century collapsed trying to compete with each other amid invasions and rebellions
c. rich Hindu temples of northern India became the prey of Muslim raiders from Afghanistan
2. earlier Muslim scholars had looked to India as a source of learning
a. Al Biruni, who came from Persia in the 1020s, found Indian science and scholarship disappointing
b. had a hidden agenda to promote Islam over Indian religions
B. Views not true for all of India
1. still had booming economy and healthy trade in some northern areas despite political trouble
a. economies can sometimes function well despite political troubles
b. records of tribute paid to the temples in Rajasthan in northwest India reveal the range of produce sold in local markets and the lively pace of trade
c. merchants considered themselves warriors in a trade war against Muslim competitors
2. revival of Indian cities
a. particularly strong in the south
b. eleventh-century inscriptions mention 78 towns—three times the number recorded for the eighth century
c. grant shows how wealthy and prosperous cities were laid out
3. southern states enjoyed the benefits and increase of strength that the wealth of the Indian Ocean made possible