Prehistory Indian genetic signatures found among the
Dilaut native ethnic group of the Sulu archipelago show that Indian immigration to the Philippines happened even before the start of formal written Philippine history. India had greatly influenced the many different cultures of the Philippines through the
Indianized kingdom of the
Hindu Majapahit and the
Buddhist Srivijaya. For at least two millennia before the arrival of the Spanish, Philippines was ruled by
Hindu kings called Rajahs and Pramukhas. Numerous kings with written genealogies and Sanskrit names were found by Spanish warlords and friars. Indian presence in the Philippines has been ongoing since ancient times along with the
Japanese people and the
Han Chinese and Arab and Persian traders, predating even the coming of the Europeans by at least two millennia.
Indian people together with the natives of the Indonesian Archipelago and the Malay Peninsula, who came as traders introduced
Hinduism to the natives of the Philippines. Indian migrants have been crucial in the establishment of several Indianized kingdoms ruled by 'rajahs' in the Philippines, such as that of
Butuan and
Cebu. Indian
Bania converts to Islam brought
Sunni Islam to the Philippine islands in the course of trade, which was later enhanced and strengthened by Arab Muslim Sea traders to Mindanao and Sulu Sultanate. The semi-legendary first Rajah and founder of
Cebu,
Sri Rajahmura Lumaya, whose existence is only confirmed through oral tradition in the Cebuano epic
Aginid, Bayok sa atong Tawarik, was said to be of
Tamil and
Malay ancestry from Sumatra. By the 17th century,
Gujarati merchants with the aid of
Khoja and Bohri ship-owners had developed an international transoceanic empire which had a network of agents stationed at the great port cities across the
Indian Ocean. These networks extended to the Philippines in the east, East Africa in the west and via maritime and the inland caravan route to Russia in the north.
Colonial Period During the Spanish era, the chief source of slaves bought by Spanish administrators, native Filipino nobilities, and Chinese merchants in the Philippines, were:
India and
Bengal. Together they formed a cosmopolitan community in even the rural areas of the country. Sepoy troops from Madras (now
Chennai,
Tamil Nadu), British India also arrived with the
British expedition and occupation between 1762 and 1764 during the
Seven Years' War. When the British withdrew, many of the
Sepoys (Army privates) mutinied and refused to leave. Virtually all had taken native brides (or soon did so). They settled in what is Cainta, in what was then the Province of Manila (currently part of
Rizal Province). As of 2006, between 70 and 75 percent of Indians in the Philippines lived in Metro Manila, with the largest community outside of Manila being in
Isabela province. The region in and around Cainta still has many Sepoy descendants. However, Indian business people started to arrive in larger numbers in The Philippines during the American colonial period (1898–1930s) – especially during the 1930s and 1940s, when many Indians and Indian Filipinos lived in Filipino provinces, including
Davao. The longest serving
mayor of Manila,
Ramon Bagatsing, was of Indian-Punjabi descent, having moved to
Manila from
Fabrica,
Negros Occidental before the second world war. A second surge of Indian businessmen, especially Sindhis arrived in Philippines during the
Partition of India.
Present Most of the Indians and Indian Filipinos in the Philippines are
Sindhi and
Punjabi as well as a large
Tamil population. Many are fluent in
Tagalog and English as well as local languages of the provinces and islands. Many are prosperous middle class with their main occupations in
clothing sales and marketing.
Sikhs are involved largely in
finance, money lending (locally called
Five – six),
sales and marketing. Over the last three decades, a large number of civil servants and highly educated Indians working in large banks,
Asian Development Bank and the
BPO sector have migrated to Philippines, especially Manila. Most of the Indian Filipinos and Indian expatriates are
Hindu,
Sikh,
Christians or
Muslims, but have assimilated into Filipino culture. The community regularly conducts philanthropic activities through bodies such as the Mahaveer foundation, The SEVA foundation and the
Sathya Sai organization. Most Indians congregate for socio-cultural and religious activities at the Hindu Temple (Mahatma Gandhi Street, Paco, Manila), the Indian Sikh Temple (United Nations Avenue, Paco, Manila), and the Radha Soami Satsang Beas center (Alabang, Muntinlupa, Metro Manila). Many Indians have intermarried with Filipinos, more so than in neighboring countries such as
Indonesia,
Malaysia, and
Singapore, mainly because their populations are largely
Muslim, and the Indians there (with the exception of Indian-Muslims) are averse to marrying
Muslims in those host countries. Indian Filipino companies with the largest work force include Indo Phil Textile (1,800 employees), Global Steel (950 employees and 8,000 in Iligan), Hinduja Global (3,500 workers) and Aegis People Support (over 12,000). == Demography and DNA studies ==