Indic Elements in Laos, A Southeast Asian Country: A Historical Perspective

This article is about the influence of Indian culture particularly on Laos, which has been a South East Asiancountry since ancient times and continues to be so today. There are numerous cultural parallels between Indiaand South East Asia. Over the centuries, various aspects of Indian culture have influenced the lives andcivilizations of people living in South East Asia. From the second century onward, the principalities thatemerged in the region witnessed the peaceful and non-political penetration of Indian culture. The local eliteand people went through a selection and rejection process of Indian elements. Laos represented Indianizedculture among South East Asian countries. Laotians have made significant advances in fields such as literature,religion, art, and architecture. Assimilation and diffusion occurred at all levels of society. Cultural elementsfrom various parts of India merged to form local cultural forms. The remainder of the population, includingKhmers and Thais, regard India as their primary source of cultural history and contemporary culture. Indicelements pervade their literature, which is written in Sanskrit and Pali scripts. Orissa temples influenced theirtemple architecture. Their devotion to the Ramayana, Jataka figures like Dadhivahana and Vimalaraja, and soon. It was not a case of Indians subduing Laos and imposing their culture. The Indian cultural superstructurewas built on an indigenous foundation. Geographically it is far away from India but culture shortened thedistance and made such a relation which can create a platform to fulfill the dream of the world is one family.