Hinduism in China
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Hindu communities, particularly through
History
Although Hinduism is a little-practiced religion in China, it had a significant, but indirect role in influencing Chinese culture through Buddhist beliefs, practices and traditions (which share a common Dharmic root with Hinduism) which diffused and spread to China from India from the 1st or 2nd century CE onwards.
Arthur Waley (1889-1996) while translating Tao Te Ching (The Way and Its Power) commented:[14]
"I see no reason to doubt, that the 'holy mountain-men' (sheng-hsien) described by Lieh Tzu are Indian Rishi; and when we read in Chuang Tzu of certain Taoists who practiced movements very similar to the asanas of Hindu yoga, it is at least a possibility that some knowledge of the yoga technique which these Rishi used had also drifted into China."
Some examples of influence by Hinduism on ancient Chinese religion included the belief of "six schools" or "six doctrines" as well as use of
There was a small Hindu community in China, mostly situated in southeastern China. A late thirteenth-century bilingual Tamil and Chinese language inscription has been found associated with the remains of a Siva temple of Quanzhou. This was one of possibly two south Indian-style Hindu temples (115) that must have been built in the southeastern sector of the old port, where the foreign traders' enclave was formerly located.[16]
Regions of influence
Ancient Chinese records as well as modern archaeological studies prove the presence of Hinduism in several regions of China:
- Ports of China in Guangdong and Quanzhou provinces, mainly by Tamil Hindu traders who had been welcomed by Chinese and who had established residencies (diaspora communities) and built Hindu temples while they facilitated and served the needs of Sino-Indian trade in a wide range of goods.[1][18]
- Kamrup route (
- Tsung-Ling route (now through Kashmir) was the route that helped monks and travelers from China bring Buddhism into China; along with Buddhist texts, many ancient Hindu texts and ideas were also carried into China. The archaeological evidence of Hinduism's presence in ancient China comes from Lop Nur and Kizil Caves in Xinjiang province, where carvings of deity Ganesha, another mural of a scene from Ramayana epic with Hanuman, and frescoes of other Hindu deities. These have been dated to be from 4th to 6th century AD.[1][19] This route is also credited with the spread of some Hindu ideas and arts in north-central China by 5th century AD, into provinces as far as Shanxi, as evidenced by caves 7 through 9 of Yungang Grottoes in Datong, dedicated to various Hindu deities such as Vishnu and Shiva.[20][21][22]
- Nepal route which brought ideas from tantric school of Nepalese Hinduism and Buddhism to Tibetan region.[1]
Ancient Hindu Sanskrit inscriptions, a language typically not used to spread Buddhism in China, have also been found in Yunnan province. These inscriptions are at least from medieval era; however, it remains unclear how and when they arrived or were adopted in China.[25]
Hinduism in the Cultural Revolution and Beyond
Hinduism in China faced even more obstacles during the rise of
Many Chinese tourists visits Phra Phrom in Thailand to make wishes.
Practice of Hinduism in China
Although Hinduism is not one of the five official state recognized religions (Buddhism, Taoism, Catholic Christianity, Protestant Christianity, and Islam), and although China is officially a secular state, the practice of Hinduism is allowed in China, albeit on a limited scale. The traces of Hinduism's influence on China can be found in Chinese Buddhism.
Mainland China
A number of Hindu expatriates live in China, and there are also Hindu families among the native Chinese population. Their numbers are relatively small, and therefore their faith is not among the five officially state recognized religious organizations in China. They are permitted to safely practice their faith throughout the country, even in mainland China.
The Chinese government has invited the
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has a small presence in mainland China, with small pockets of devotees in various cities across the country. ISKCON was featured on Guangdong Television for its activities in teaching and practice of yoga and meditation in China.[29][30]
Hinduism in Hong Kong
The
Hindu legacy in Quanzhou
Evidence of Hinduism in China has been found in and around Quanzhou in Fujian province,[32] suggesting a Hindu community and particularly Tamil Hindu traders in medieval China.[5][33] The evidence consists of a Tamil-Chinese bilingual inscription dated April 1281 AD, devoted to the deity Śiva, as well as over 300 artifacts, idols and Chola-style temple structures discovered in Fujian province since 1933.[34] Archeological studies suggest at least Vaishnavism and Shaivism schools of Hinduism had arrived in China in its history.[5]
At present, there are no Hindus in Quanzhou. However, there previously existed a
In addition to Shiva, a Vishnu sculpture has been discovered in Nanjiaochang area.[5] Two pillars on the Kaiyuan temple have seven images dedicated to Vishnu - one with Garuda, one in the man-lion Narasimha avatar, one depicting the legend of Gajendra Moksha, one with Lakshmi, one as Krishna stealing milkmaids clothing to tease them, one depicting the story of Vishnu as Krishna subduing serpent Kaliya, and another of Krishna in Mahabharata.[5][34]
See also
- Buddhism in China
- Religion in China
- Hinduism
- Hinduism in Southeast Asia
- Hinduism by country
- List of Hindu temples
- Chinas
Notes
References
- ^ ISBN 81-208-0262-4, pp. 125-138
- ISBN 978-0812245608, University of Pennsylvania Press
- ^ W.W. Rockhill (1914), Notes on the relations and trade of China with the Eastern Archipelago and the coasts of Indian Ocean during the 14th century", T'oung-Pao, 16:2
- ^ T.N. Subramaniam (1978), A Tamil Colony in Medieval China, South Indian Studies, Society for Archaeological, Historical and Epigraphical Research, pp 5-9
- ^ ISBN 978-9004117730, Brill Academic, pp. 294-308
- ISBN 978-90-04-25093-2, retrieved 2021-05-12
- OCLC 489476373.
- ^ "佛教二十四诸天". 中国佛教文化网. 2010-09-01. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
- ^ "详解佛教中的二十四诸天". 腾讯. 2013-08-21. Archived from the original on 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
- )
- ^ )
- ^ Chinese Nezha has been traced to Hinduism's Nalakubara
- ISBN 978-0812245608, University of Pennsylvania Press, pp. 21-44
- ^ "Hindu Wisdom - India and China". Surya's Tapestry.
- ^ Sherring and Longstaff (1936), Western Tibet and the British borderland - The Sacred Country of Hindus and Buddhists Edward Arnold, London
- ^ http://www.tamilnation.org/heritage/china.htm
- ^ Alice Getty (1936), Gaṇeśa: a monograph on the elephant-faced god, Reprinted in 1971, Oxford: Clarendon Press, Chapter 7, pp. 67-78
- ISBN 978-9814345101, Chapter 11
- ^ Angela F. Howard (2008), Pluralism of Styles in Sixth-Century China: A Reaffirmation of Indian Models, Ars Orientalis, Vol. 35, pp. 67-94
- ^ YUNGANG GROTTOES, CHINA
- ^ Buddhist Caves in China See entry for Yungang 460s-470s, Daniel Waugh, University of Washington
- ISBN 978-9004184916, pp. 257-259
- ISBN 978-8120806511, pp. 142
- ^ Catherine Ludvik, A Harivaṃśa Hymn in Yijing's Chinese Translation of the Sutra of Golden Light, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 124, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 2004), pp. 707-734
- ^ Walter Liebenthal (1947), SANSKRIT INSCRIPTIONS FROM YUNNAN I: (AND THE DATES OF FOUNDATION OF THE MAIN PAGODAS IN THAT PROVINCE), Monumenta Serica, Vol. 12, (1947), pp. 1-40
- ISKCON News. Archived from the originalon 2010-11-27.
- ^ NDTV. "Swaminarayan Trust Invited to Build Akshardham in China". Hinduism Today.
- ^ "China working with Balinese Hindus to build temple in Middle Kingdom | Coconuts Bali". 20 July 2018.
- ^ ISKCON Narasimha Giridhari Mandir. "ISKCON Features on China National Television".
- ^ Guangdong Television. "2013品质生活瑜伽" (in Chinese).
- ^ ISKCON Hong Kong. "ISKCON Hong Kong". Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
- ^ Richard Pearson, Li Min and Li Guo (2002), Quanzhou Archaeology: A Brief Review, International Journal of Historical Archaeology, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 23-34
- ^ H. Ray (1989), Indian Settlements in Medieval China - A Preliminary Study, The Indian Journal of Asian Studies, 1:1, pp. 68-82
- ^ a b John Guy, “The Lost Temples of Nagapattinam and Quanzhou: A Study in Sino- Indian Relations”, Silk Road Art and Archaeology, Vol. 3 (1993/1994)
- ^ a b c d e f Nagapattinam to Suvarnadwipa: reflections on Chola naval expeditions to Southeast Asia (2009), Hermann Kulke, K. Kesavapany, Vijay Sakhuja, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, p. 240
External links
- https://web.archive.org/web/20051130092700/http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/chinrelg.html
- http://www.religionfacts.com/chinese_religion/history.htm
- http://hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_buddhism.htm
- https://web.archive.org/web/20060827153514/http://www.hindu.org/publications/frawley/yogabuddhism.html
- Siva Temple in China
- Hare Krishna - ISKCON Hong Kong Center
- 象神金殿