The Geopolitics of Faith: India-China Contest over Himalayan Buddhism
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: International Relations, Indian Art and Culture (Buddhism), Current Events of National and International Importance.
Mains:
GS Paper 1 (Indian Heritage and Culture): Salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times; Buddhism's influence.
GS Paper 2 (International Relations): India and its neighborhood- relations; Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests; Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.
Key Highlights from the News
India and China's real geopolitical contest is not in the Indo-Pacific but in the Himalayan region. The core of this competition is faith, specifically Himalayan Buddhism.
Both countries understand that influence over Himalayan Buddhism will determine the identity of the people in the border regions.
China has transformed Buddhism into a tool of statecraft. China argues that the state alone has the right to approve the reincarnations of Lamas.
India, on the other hand, has been slow to engage on this issue. India's approach is mostly limited to 'Buddhist diplomacy', which is weak compared to China's centralized view.
The dispute over the successor to the 14th Dalai Lama is the most significant. When the Dalai Lama hinted he might reincarnate in India, China announced it would appoint its own Dalai Lama.
This will create a split in Tibetan Buddhism, forcing Buddhist communities in Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nepal, and Bhutan to take sides.
China's claim over Tawang and its significant investments in Lumbini in Nepal are part of this strategy.
Even internal disputes within Buddhism (e.g., the dispute over the Karmapa) are used by China and India for their own interests.
In the Himalayan region, soft power is as important as hard power. Even the defection of a single monastery is a strategic loss.
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