Philippine's Vedic Heritage

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Early Relations with India

"The Brahmanistic elements in ancient Filipino religion and the names

of their gods and mythological heroes were of Indian origin."

 

The early relations between the Philippines and the Indian empires of

Sri-Vijaya and Majapahit were commercial and cultural, not political.

As a free and independent people, the early Filipinos carried on

trade with Borneo, Celebes, Java, Sumatra, and other countries of

Southeast Asia. And through Sri-Vijaya and Majapahit, they received

India's cultural influences. The early contact between India and the

Philippines was decidedly indirect via Malaysia.

 

CLICK LINK BELOW FOR MORE INFO ON THE VEDIC PHILIPPINES

http://www.vedicempire.com/vedicfilipino.htm

 

India's Cultural Influences

 

The impact of Indian civilization on the Philippines profoundly

affected the culture of the Filipinos. The Brahmanistic elements in

ancient Filipino religion and the names of their gods and

mythological heroes were of Indian origin. The term Bathala (supreme

god of the ancient Tagalog) originated from the Sanskrit Bhattara

Guru, meaning "the highest of the gods".

 

The sarong ( skirt ) and potong (turban) of the pre-Spanish Filipinos

and the embroidered shawls of the present-day Muslim Filipino women

reveal Indian influences. The ancient Filipino alphabet originated

from India. About 25% of the words in the Tagalog language are

Sanskrit terms. Among such words are dala (fishnet), asawa (spouse),

diwa (thought), puri (honor), lakambini (princess), and wika

(language).

 

Filipino literature and folklore show the impress of India. The

Maranao epic Darangan is Indian in plot and characterization. The

Agusan legend of a man named Manubo Ango, who was turned into stone,

resembles the story of Ahalya in the Hindu epic Ramayana. The tale of

the Ifugao legendary hero, Balituk, who obtained water from the rock

with his arrow, is similar to Arjuna's adventure in Mahabharata,

another Hindu epic.

 

Many Filipino customs are of Indian origin. Among them are the

following: (1) placing a sampaguita flower garland around the neck of

a visitor upon his arrival and departure as a symbol of hospitality

and friendship; (2) before marriage, a groom gives a dowry to the

bride's parents and renders domestic services to his future in-laws;

(3) when the guests throw rice on the bride and groom after the

wedding; and (4) when a childless couple goes on a pilgrimage to a

holy shrine, believing that the god of shrine will grant their prayer

for fertility. Another Indian influence is seen in the decorative art

and metal work of the early Filipinos, and in their use of brass,

bronze, copper, and tin. The boat-lute, a musical instrument in

southern Philippines, is of Indian origin. Finally, about 5% of the

blood in Filipino veins in Indian. Because of their lineage, the

Filipinos possess dignity of bearing, indifference to pain, and a

fatalistic outlook on life.

 

http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Pool/1644/precolonial.html