India |
Indonesia |
Indian-Indonesian relations refers to the bilateral relations of India and Indonesia. The Indian-Indonesian relationship stretch back for almost two millennia. In 1950, the first President of Indonesia - Sukarno called upon the peoples of Indonesia and India to "intensify the cordial relations" that had existed between the two countries "for more than 1000 years" before they had been "disrupted" by colonial powers.[3] Fifteen years later in Jakarta, government-inspired mobs were shouting: "Down with India, the servant of imperialists" and "Crush India, our enemy." [4] Yet in the spring of 1966, the foreign ministers of both countries began speaking again of an era of friendly relations.
India had supported Indonesian independence and Nehru had raised the Indonesian question in the United Nations Security Council.
India has an embassy in Jakarta [5] and Indonesia operates an embassy in Delhi.[6] India regards Indonesia as a key member of ASEAN. Both nations had agreed to establish a strategic partnership.[7]
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The ties between Indonesia and India date back to the times of the Ramayana,[8] "Yawadvipa" (Java) is mentioned in India's earliest epic, the Ramayana. Sugriva, the chief of Rama's army dispatched his men to Yawadvipa, the island of Java, in search of Sita.[9] Indians had visited Indonesia since ancient times, and ancient Indonesian (Austronesian people) has embarked in maritime trade in Southeast Asian seas and Indian Ocean. The Ancient Indians spread Hinduism and many other aspects of Indian culture including the Sanskrit and Brahmi Script. India had played a big role in Indonesian culture, which is a fusion of Indian, Chinese, Southeast Asian, and indigenous Indonesian culture. The trace of Indian influences is most evident in great numbers of Sanskrit loanwords in Indonesian languages.
The name Indonesia derives from the Latin Indus, meaning "India", and the Greek nesos, meaning "island". (due to the similarity of the culture in both regions).[10] The name dates to the 18th century, far predating the formation of independent Indonesia. During the Srivijaya era, many Indonesians studied at Nalanda University in India.[11]
Indianised Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms, such as Srivijaya, Medang, Sunda and Majapahit were the predominant governments in Indonesia, and lasted from 200[12] to the 1500s, with the last remaining being in Bali.
In 1945—1949, during Indonesian National Revolution and the formation of the republic, India and Egypt were among the earliest nations that supported and recognized the Indonesian sovereignty and foster diplomatic relations with Republic of Indonesia. In addition, prior to Indonesia's independence Muhammad Ali Jinnah - the founder of Pakistan - who at that time was President of the All India Muslim League, encouraged Indian Muslim soldiers serving in British Indian army to join hands with Indonesians against their fight against the Dutch Empire colonisation of Indonesia. As a result 600-Muslim soldiers of the British Indian Army deserted the colonial forces putting their lot at stake, and allied with Indonesians.[13] India and Indonesia officially opened the diplomatic relations since 3 March 1951.[14] In 1955, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indonesian President Sukarno were among the five founders of the Non-aligned Movement.
Indonesia had absorbed many aspects of Indian culture since almost two millennia ago. The most obvious trace is the large adoption of sanskrit into Indonesian language (see: Sanskrit loan words in Indonesian). The Indian epic the Ramayana and the Mahabharata played an important role in Indonesian culture and history, they have also achieved great popularity in the socio-political life of Indonesia. Even today, in the open theatre of the Prambanan in Java, Javanese muslims performs the Ramayana dance during full moon nights. The example of profound Hindu-Buddhist influences in Indonesian history are the 9th century Borobudur and Prambanan temples. Even after the adoption of Islam, the link between two countries was still maintained, for example the Indonesian Islamic architecture especially in Sumatra, has been deeply influenced by Indian Mughal architecture as evidence in Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Aceh and Medan's Great Mosque.
The cultural admirations was actually reciprocated, Indians also fascinated, familiar and felt related to Indonesian culture. Rabindranath Tagore visited Java and Bali in 1927, he stayed for two weeks in Bali and was fascinated with Balinese culture and praised Balinese Hinduism. The cultural ties still continues up to modern days, the popular Indonesian Dangdut music displays the influence of Hindustani musics. Bollywood films and musics were also popular in Indonesia.[15] To promote Indian culture in Indonesia, the Jawaharlal Nehru Indian Cultural Center were established in Jakarta since 1989, featuring library and providing lessons on Indian culture, such as Yoga, Indian musics and dances [16]
On 25 Jan 2011, After talks by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, India and Indonesia had signed business deals worth billions of dollars and set an ambitious target of doubling trade over the next five years.[17] Tourism wise, Indonesia is one of only 14 countries in which tourist visas prior to entry are not required in India.[18] Indian Nationals also are issued tourist visas on arrival in Indonesia.[19]
India also has further economic ties with Indonesia through its free trade agreement with ASEAN, of which Indonesia is a member.[20]
| India | Indonesia | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,198,003,000 | 229,965,000 |
| Area | 3,287,240 km² (1,269,210 sq mi) | 1,919,440 km² (735,355 sq mi ) |
| Population Density | 364.4/km² (943.9/sq mi) | 119.8/km² (312.7/sq mi) |
| Capital | New Delhi | Jakarta |
| Largest City | Mumbai - 13,922,125 | Jakarta - 8,500,000 |
| Government | Federal republic and Parliamentary Democracy | Presidential (republic) |
| Official languages | English and Hindi | Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) |
| Classical languages | Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu | Sanskrit, Old Malay, Kawi, Old Javanese |
| Main religions | 80.5% Hinduism, 13.4% Islam, 3% Christianity, 1.9% Sikhism | 86.1% Islam, 8.7% Christianity, 1.8% Hinduism, 1% Buddhism, 2.4% other |
| GDP (nominal) | $1.54 trillion ($1,116 per capita) | $511.765 billion ($2,246 per capita) |
| GDP (PPP) | $4.088 trillion ($3,462 per capita) | $908.242 billion ($3,986 per capita) |
| HDI | 0.609 | 0.726 |
| Foreign exchange reserves | 319 (billions of USD) | 57.4 (billions of USD) |
| Military expenditures | $32.7 billion | $4,740 million |
Today, both countries maintain cooperative and friendly relations. India and Indonesia is one of the few (and also one of the largest) democracies in Asian region which can be projected as a real democracy.[21] As a fellow Asian democracies that shares common value, it is natural for both countries to nurture and foster strategic alliance. Indonesia and India are member states of the G-20, the E7 (countries), the Non-aligned Movement, and the United Nations.
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