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Indian Indonesians
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Indian Indonesians
Indian Indonesians are Indonesians whose ancestors originally came from the Indian subcontinent. Therefore, this term can be regarded as a blanket term for not only Indonesian Indians but also Indonesians with other South Asian ancestries (e.g. Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, etc.). According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, there were about 120,000 people of Indian origin as well as 9,000 Indian nationals living and working in Indonesia as of January 2012. Most of them were concentrated in the province of North Sumatra and urban areas such as Banda Aceh, Padang, Surabaya, Medan, and Jakarta. However, it is quite impossible to get correct statistical figures on the Indian Indonesian population, because some of them have merged and assimilated with the indigenous population to become indistinguishable from native Indonesians.
The history of Indian presence in the Indonesian archipelago dates back to the late 1st millennium BCE, characterized by a period of "Indianization" driven by maritime trade and cultural exchange. Archaeological excavations at Sembiran and Pacung in northern Bali have unearthed Indian-style rouletted ware and glass beads dating to approximately 200 BCE, representing some of the earliest physical evidence of South Asian contact.
This interaction facilitated the introduction of Sanskrit, the Pallava script, and Dharmic religions, as evidenced by the 4th-century Yupa inscriptions of King Mulavarman in Kalimantan, which are the earliest known written records in Indonesia. Genetic studies further corroborate these ancient links, identifying Indian genomic markers in modern Indonesian populations—particularly in Bali and Java—consistent with an admixture event occurring roughly 2,000 years ago. This long-standing relationship culminated in the rise of influential maritime empires such as Srivijaya and Majapahit, which synthesized indigenous Austronesian customs with South Asian political and religious frameworks.
The name Indonesia itself derives from the Latin Indus, meaning "India", and the Greek nesos, meaning "island". (due to the similarity of the culture in both regions).
The ties between Indonesia and the Indian subcontinent dates back to the times of the Ramayana, "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. Indians had visited Indonesia since ancient times, and ancient Indonesian peoples has embarked in maritime trade in Southeast Asian seas and Indian Ocean. The spread of Hinduism and Buddhism in Indonesia is also pioneered by Indian Merchants, Scholars, Missionaries, Priests and Traders who settled within the region.
An rouletted ware of South Indian origin at the site of Simberan, Bali has produced a carbon dating of 660 BCE (± 100). Signifying that Indian settlement have reached as far as Bali and The population exchanges and intermarriages in the island of Bali between Indonesians and Indians has been archaeologically dated as far as to second century BCE.
Southern Indians, Particularly Tamils have a long history in Indonesia. After Rajendra Chola I's invasion of Srivijaya Empire in 1024–1025, there was a noticeable increase in Tamil economic activity in Indonesia and South East Asia in general. One of direct consequence of Chola invasion was the emergence of Kota Cina, an ancient trading town currently located in northern Medan.
Tamil presence has been recorded in Lobu Tua Inscription dating about 1088 regarding the Five Hundred Lords of Ayyanuruwar, a Tamil merchant guild had trading post in Barus, an ancient port town currently located in Central Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra. The inscription itself is written in Tamil, and Barus was referred as Varocu by them. The Tamils residing permanently or temporarily in Barus were mainly traders or craftsmen by profession. Some of them migrated westward towards Karoland and Kota Cina, and assimilated with local Karo people. The clan (marga) Sembiring is believed to have a connection with the Tamils. Many of its sub-mergas, like Colia, Berahmana, Pandia, Meliala, Depari, Muham, Pelawi and Tekan, are indicated to be of South Indian origin as well. Some scholars cited that some aspects of Karo tradition are believed to have been influenced from Tamil culture, such as disposing of the dead and urung (village federation, thought to be influenced from medieval Tamil society).
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Indian Indonesians
Indian Indonesians are Indonesians whose ancestors originally came from the Indian subcontinent. Therefore, this term can be regarded as a blanket term for not only Indonesian Indians but also Indonesians with other South Asian ancestries (e.g. Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, etc.). According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, there were about 120,000 people of Indian origin as well as 9,000 Indian nationals living and working in Indonesia as of January 2012. Most of them were concentrated in the province of North Sumatra and urban areas such as Banda Aceh, Padang, Surabaya, Medan, and Jakarta. However, it is quite impossible to get correct statistical figures on the Indian Indonesian population, because some of them have merged and assimilated with the indigenous population to become indistinguishable from native Indonesians.
The history of Indian presence in the Indonesian archipelago dates back to the late 1st millennium BCE, characterized by a period of "Indianization" driven by maritime trade and cultural exchange. Archaeological excavations at Sembiran and Pacung in northern Bali have unearthed Indian-style rouletted ware and glass beads dating to approximately 200 BCE, representing some of the earliest physical evidence of South Asian contact.
This interaction facilitated the introduction of Sanskrit, the Pallava script, and Dharmic religions, as evidenced by the 4th-century Yupa inscriptions of King Mulavarman in Kalimantan, which are the earliest known written records in Indonesia. Genetic studies further corroborate these ancient links, identifying Indian genomic markers in modern Indonesian populations—particularly in Bali and Java—consistent with an admixture event occurring roughly 2,000 years ago. This long-standing relationship culminated in the rise of influential maritime empires such as Srivijaya and Majapahit, which synthesized indigenous Austronesian customs with South Asian political and religious frameworks.
The name Indonesia itself derives from the Latin Indus, meaning "India", and the Greek nesos, meaning "island". (due to the similarity of the culture in both regions).
The ties between Indonesia and the Indian subcontinent dates back to the times of the Ramayana, "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. Indians had visited Indonesia since ancient times, and ancient Indonesian peoples has embarked in maritime trade in Southeast Asian seas and Indian Ocean. The spread of Hinduism and Buddhism in Indonesia is also pioneered by Indian Merchants, Scholars, Missionaries, Priests and Traders who settled within the region.
An rouletted ware of South Indian origin at the site of Simberan, Bali has produced a carbon dating of 660 BCE (± 100). Signifying that Indian settlement have reached as far as Bali and The population exchanges and intermarriages in the island of Bali between Indonesians and Indians has been archaeologically dated as far as to second century BCE.
Southern Indians, Particularly Tamils have a long history in Indonesia. After Rajendra Chola I's invasion of Srivijaya Empire in 1024–1025, there was a noticeable increase in Tamil economic activity in Indonesia and South East Asia in general. One of direct consequence of Chola invasion was the emergence of Kota Cina, an ancient trading town currently located in northern Medan.
Tamil presence has been recorded in Lobu Tua Inscription dating about 1088 regarding the Five Hundred Lords of Ayyanuruwar, a Tamil merchant guild had trading post in Barus, an ancient port town currently located in Central Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra. The inscription itself is written in Tamil, and Barus was referred as Varocu by them. The Tamils residing permanently or temporarily in Barus were mainly traders or craftsmen by profession. Some of them migrated westward towards Karoland and Kota Cina, and assimilated with local Karo people. The clan (marga) Sembiring is believed to have a connection with the Tamils. Many of its sub-mergas, like Colia, Berahmana, Pandia, Meliala, Depari, Muham, Pelawi and Tekan, are indicated to be of South Indian origin as well. Some scholars cited that some aspects of Karo tradition are believed to have been influenced from Tamil culture, such as disposing of the dead and urung (village federation, thought to be influenced from medieval Tamil society).
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