Acculturation of Nusantara and Hindu-Buddhist Culture
📌 Acculturation is the process of mixing two or more cultures through interaction, resulting in a new culture without erasing the original elements.
🌏 The intensive trade relations between Indonesia and India led to the acculturation of local Nusantara culture with Hindu-Buddhist influences, creating a distinct cultural character.
🏛️ Indonesian culture, already strong since the prehistoric era, absorbed Indian elements, leading to unique cultural expressions across various fields.

Art and Architecture Acculturation
🗿 Temple (Candi) Architecture: Temples show a blend of Hindu/Buddhist elements (like stupas and reliefs) and indigenous Indonesian culture (evident in the basic structure being a punden berundak or terraced sanctuary).
🧱 Temple philosophy symbolizes the cosmos (makrokosmos) divided into three parts: Kamadhatu (lower realm), Rupadhatu (intermediate realm), and Arupadhatu (upper realm of the gods).
🕉️ Temple styles are categorized into two main types: Central Javanese style (stout, tiered roofs, Ratna/stupa pinnacle, made of andesite) and East Javanese style (slender, cube pinnacle, made of brick, reliefs resemble wayang kulit).
🖼️ Sculpture and Reliefs: Indigenous sculpture traditions (like menhirs) merged with Hindu-Buddhist depictions, resulting in statues identifying local rulers with specific deities (e.g., Statue of Ken Dedes as Dewi Prajnaparamita).

Performing Arts and Literature
🎭 Wayang (Puppet Shows): Originally tied to ancestor worship (Asangan), wayang performances were modified during the Hindu-Buddhist era to incorporate Indian epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, along with local characters.
🎼 Gamelan Music: The Gamelan is recognized as the oldest indigenous musical performance art form in Indonesia, which continued to develop during this period.
✍️ Literature and Script: The Hindu-Buddhist era marked the beginning of the literate era in Indonesia, evidenced by the oldest inscription, the Yupa inscription from Kutai, written in Pallava script using Sanskrit.

Socio-Cultural and Governance Changes
🛐 Belief Systems: The introduction of Hinduism and Buddhism resulted in syncretism; for example, the emergence of Shiva-Buddha religion, blending foreign doctrines with pre-existing local beliefs.
👑 Governance System: While pre-existing simple group leadership (chief/adat leader) existed, the influence introduced formalized social structures based on the Hindu caste system (Brahmana, Kshatriya, Waisya, Sudra).
📚 Education: Kingdoms like Srivijaya actively established religious educational institutions, aiming to become a center for Buddhist education in Southeast Asia, evidenced by collaborations mentioned in the Nalanda inscription.
🗓️ Calendar System: Pre-existing astronomical knowledge used for navigation and agriculture (based on constellations like Mangsa Kasa and Mangsa Karo) was supplemented by the adoption of the Saka calendar, which differs from the Masehi (Gregorian) calendar by 78 years.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ The fundamental principle of acculturation in Indonesia was the reception and processing of foreign culture without eliminating the original indigenous elements.
➡️ Preserving cultural heritage is a key responsibility for succeeding generations to maintain national identity against the erosion of time.
➡️ The indigenous terraced sanctuary structure (punden berundak) is the strongest visible local architectural influence integrated into temple designs.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 19, 2026, 09:04 UTC