Hindu Indonesia-a tryst with Islamic destiny

Hira Lal Kak  

"If you do not know history, then you don't know anything. are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree"

Until the 16th century, Indonesia was 100% Hindu-Buddhist(except the negligible elite of Kedah sultanate). Today, Hindus and Buddhists are not even 1%. Muslims are 88%. What led to such a drastic change? Expect for a handful of people on Bali Island, Hinduism in Indonesia is extinct.

A mosque is known as Meenara Kudus mosque. Built in 1549, it is the earliest surviving mosque of Indonesia. It is a Dargah of a Sufi wali-sanga (saint) known as Sunan Kudus.

The Dargah tells us a lot about how Sufi Islam spread in Indonesia. It is built by tearing down a Hindu temple. The temple remains can still be clearly seen.

There is an interesting story. When temples were destroyed to make way for mosques, Hindus did not enter the mosques. Sunan Kudus tied a cow inside the mosque and began chanting Surah Al Baqara (the cow) of Quran. To attract Hindus, he forbade the slaughter of cows. This rule is followed by Kudus until today.

This was the conversion model followed by early Sufis of Indonesia. While ruthlessly demolishing temples, they also appropriated some cultural aspects like veneration of cow for smooth religious transition of converts.The writer is Ex-G.M, ONGC, Ex-Advisor, Gail (India) Ltd, Ex-Consultant, Engineers (India), Ltd

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Courtesy: Hira Lal Kak and December 2022 Koshur Samachar