Today, Rajamandala is a highly relevant topic that impacts different aspects of our lives. Its influence extends to areas such as technology, health, politics, culture and society in general. Its importance lies in the impact it has on our daily decisions, on the way we relate to our environment and on the way we understand the world around us. Throughout history, Rajamandala has evolved and generated significant debate, innovation and change. In this article we will explore how Rajamandala has shaped and influenced our present, and what we can expect from its future.
Political term formulated by Indian author Chanakya
The Rajamandala (or Rāja-maṇḍala meaning "circle of kings";मण्डल, maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle") was formulated by the Indian author Chanakya (Kautilya) in his work on politics, the Arthashastra (written between 4th century BCE and 2nd century CE). It describes circles of friendly and enemy states surrounding the king's (raja) state. Also known as Mandala theory of foreign policy or Mandala theory, the theory has been called as one of Kautilya's most important postulations regarding foreign policy.
Terminology
The term draws a comparison with the mandala of the Hindu and Buddhistworldview; the comparison emphasises the radiation of power from each power center, as well as the non-physical basis of the system. In particular, it postulates that a neighboring state or neighbor of a natural friend is a natural enemy and that a neighbor of a natural enemy is a natural friend, such that one can visualize a set of concentric circles emanating from any given state, with alternating circles including enemies and allies of that state respectively.
The terminology was revived two millenniums later as a result of twentieth-century efforts to comprehend patterns of diffuse but coherent political power. Metaphors such as social anthropologistTambiah's idea of a "galactic polity", describe such political patterns as the mandala. HistorianVictor Lieberman preferred the metaphor of a "solar polity," as in the solar system, where there is one central body, the sun, and the components or planets of the solar system. The "Rajamandala" concept of ancient India was the prototype for the Mandala model of South East Asian political systems in later centuries, established by British historian O. W. Wolters.
^Torkel Brekke (2006), "Between Prudence and Heroism: Ethics of war in the Hindu tradition", The Ethics of War in Ancient Asia, Routledge, p. 124 Kulke; Rothermund (2004), A History of India, p. 350 Upinder Singh (2008), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Pearson Longman, p. 349
^Tambiah, Stanley Jeyaraja. World Conqueror and World Renouncer : A Study of Buddhism and Polity in Thailand against a Historical Background. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976. ISBN0-521-29290-5. Chapter 7, cited in Lieberman, Strange Parallels: Southeast Asia in Global Context c. 800-1830. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003-2009 ISBN978-0521804967. P. 33
^"Victor B. Lieberman". Professor of History, Department of History, appointed 1984. University of Michigan. February 4, 2005. Archived from the original(Biography) on July 22, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011. Center for Southeast Asian Studies