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The Indian society of south Asia experienced several economic and political changes as well as intriguing continuities. During the time period from 600 C.E. to 1450 C.E., south Asia changed from having a chaotic government and self producing economy to a more efficient rule and bustling financial status due to the introduction of Islam in its community. Throughout it all though, the importance of trade in India remained the same.

Prior to the discovery of Islam in Indian society, India had several political and economic aspects that changed after the incorporation of Islam, although few sections stayed the same. Earlier on in the southern Asian region, the northern and southern areas were un-unified, which was common for India’s history since those areas were separated by the Deccan plateau. This concept changed very little even after Islam is brought into the society. The government system constructed of small regional kingdoms in distinct areas. Harsha is an example of some of these kingdoms, and it lasted very little and was nearly ineffective. Economically, trade was always a huge part of Indian culture and will only increase with amalgamation of Islam and Indian society. India also became well-adapted to having self sufficient agricultural systems in its lands with the help of some previously discovered and used information of the monsoon winds. Hindu temples were huge sources of economic centers as they provided jobs, land and even gave education too.

The introduction of Islam in the south Asian world was a huge turning point over India’s years of existence. This came from the collision of Muslim and Indian merchants during trade. Indian merchants would trade in the Indian Ocean basin as Muslim merchants sailed off the coast of Africa into the same waters, and after much interaction with each other, the Islamic culture was brought back to India. Islam in the Indian society helped to increase trade by befriending Muslim merchants. Muslims, or people in any culture, tend to trust and interact more with people that they are in common to. This sparked a massive increase of trade and commerce as India fell into the center for trade between western Africa and eastern China. India traded year round while its counterparts only traded with each other seasonally through India. In many ways, Indian economy was depended on heavily by the other worlds of China and Africa They relied so heavily on India, their financial worlds most likely would have collapsed without Indian trade.

Indian society and culture had significant changes, with some continuity, after the adaptation of Islam. India still never went back to having centralized ruling, but the newer kingdoms that came alive were bigger and more efficient with the help of Islam. The sultanate of Delhi for example, was an Islamic state which ruled over northern India. Islam united people from all over south Asia under the caliph, the Muslim leader. Islam also changed the centuries old caste system and made it much more flexible because it had to incorporate all these people of new religion into a Hindu tradition. Hinduism stayed for the most part as equally important as it was before Islam just because it was such an ancient and well adapted religion in Indian culture. Trade was now even more productive with the new technology that was transported throughout interaction. Also, the ports and harbors of India became much more cosmopolitan.
South Asia was deeply impacted upon by the contagious ways of Islam. It slowly tainted the repeated Indian phenomenon of disorderly government and a closed economy into a major outspread of trade and more efficient government. From around 600 to 1450 C.E., Islam greatly broke Indian tradition and changed its economy as well as government to become more complex and outreaching, from a very instable and self producing society. Both its old and new traditions are still visible today to show no clear event can ever truly wipe out the beginnings of any pure society.