The Indo-Greek Kingdom

 

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The Indian Subcontinent has always been an eventful place. From being one of the cradles of civilization to the cultural powerhouse it is today, The Indian Subcontinent has always had a special tooth in the pages of history.

Previously in Meta Blogs, we covered the Mauryan Era. The Indo-Greek rule cannot be pieced together without mentioning its dawn form the Mauryan times.

This story starts from Alexander The Great and his great conquest. The Macedonian King had conquered his way across the near east and central Asia, and by 325 BC he reached the Indian Subcontinent. Upon his conquest of the region, Alexander created four Satrapies, Alexandria on the Indus, Alexandria on the Caucasus, and Alexandria Eschate - Alexandria the Furthest. Upon the set-up of these Satrapies, the Greek populous flooded in to occupy the land. These Greek Settlers formed the basis for Hellenic presence in the region for centuries to come. 

After the death of Alexander, the reign of the Satrapies was bequeathed by Seleucus Nicator, the founder of the Seleucid Empire. He was one of the most powerful generals in Alexander's Army. However, Seleucus did not reign for a long time.

Further east was the Mauryan Empire led by Chandragupta, who ruled most of India. After the fall of Alexander, Seleucus and Chandragupta fought for expansion of their respective territories around 305 and 303 BC. Chandragupta with sheer numbers and might annexed the Macedonian Satrapies in the Indus without much trouble. But to prolong further conflict, he struck a deal with Seleucus who was gifted 500 Indian war Elephants and married Seleucus’ daughter. Under this peaceful time, Greeks settled in the Indian Subcontinent and established their presence.

After Chandragupta and Bindusara, Ashoka the Great ascended the Mauryan Throne. Later in life, moved by bloodshed in wars, Ashoka converted to Buddhism and sent Buddhist missionaries across central Asia. He was able to convert the Greeks in the realm, who were known to be the Yavanas or the Indo-Greeks.

During this golden period of peace, Buddhism flourished under the Indo-Greek kings. It has been suggested, although direct evidence is lacking, that their invasion of India was intended to show their support for the Mauryan empire which may have had a long history of marital alliances, exchange of presents, demonstrations of friendship, exchange of ambassadors and religious missions with the Greeks. The historian Diodorus even wrote that the king of Pataliputra had "great love for the Greeks".

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The Yavanas minted their first coins in India, bearing the visage of Menander I and Apollodotus I. An interesting note was that most of the coins of the Greek kings in India were bilingual, written in Greek on the front and in Pali on the back, the language spoken by the original Buddha himself.

The coins were often also minted with Greek gods such as Athena, with the description Athena Alkidemos- Athena the Saviour. This shows that despite their adoption of eastern religion, the Greeks did not give up their own Gods, and in fact incorporated them into Indian religion. Greco-Buddhist art flourished in the Indo-Greek and Bactrian realms. Their cult of form directly influenced Buddhist art, and it was around this time that Buddha was first depicted in human form. It even became common practice to depict the legendary Greek Hero Heracles as the Buddha’s protector. While these intricate artworks depicted eastern themes and eastern gods, they bore the distinct, austere, marble cult of form which makes them iconically Hellenic in design.

The Greeks traditionally worshiped the Greek deities (Zeus, Herakles, Athena, Apollo...), but the Indo-Greeks were also involved with local faiths, particularly with Buddhism, but also with Hinduism and Zoroastrianism.

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Buddhist art, literature and tradition flourished in the Indo-Greek Kingdom.

Indo-Greek Kingdom points to a unique, syncretic blend of culture, in which Greeks mingled with the local Indian population, existing side by side, often times merging their Corinthian style marble columns have been found in India, baring imagery of elephants, Buddhist monks, and Buddha himself, a testament to the merging of eastern and western cultures. 

Menander I, a well-educated man who despite being Greek, was educated in Indian history and tradition, systems of poetry, philosophy and arithmetic, and he was well learned in the art of war.

The Greek King himself had converted to the faith. This conversion is well documented in an ancient Buddhist text known as the Milinda Panha, meaning “The Questions of Menander”, in which Menander had a long dialogue with a Kashmiri Buddhist Sage known as Nagasena. Menander asks Nagasena many questions about life itself, including the concept of a soul, asceticism, memory, attachment and wealth. Delighted by the sage’s wisdom, Menander declares his conversion to the Buddhist faith.

He lived the rest of his life as a devout Buddhist, Menander most likely died from sickness while on campaign against a Greek usurper in his realm, the self-styled Indo-Greek King Zoisos II.

Regardless, King Menander would be remembered as the strongest of the Indo-Greek Kings, and fostered stability in his realm during his reign. The Indo-Greeks would never quite reclaim the glory they experienced under Menander, and the Indo-Greek Kingdom would slowly decline after his death, fracturing into multiple smaller Greek-ruled states that often squabbled amongst themselves.

In 10 AD, the last Indo-Greek realm would fall. But this would not be the end of the Greek presence in India. In 30 AD, the former territories of the Indo-Greek realm would fall under the control of the Kushan Empire. The Kushans borrowed heavily from the Greeks in fact, Greek was their official administrative language until 127 AD.

The Greeks remained a visible minority in the Kushan Empire for centuries. The Kushans, being devout Buddhists themselves, borrowed heavily from the Greco-Buddhist traditions that had developed over the past two centuries. Under the Kushans, Greek Buddhist monks would play a large role in the spread of Buddhism into China, and beyond. Eventually, the Greek presence in India would fade away. However, their centuries long presence in the Indian subcontinent, and the cultural legacy they left behind leaves a fascinating story for history enthusiasts around the world to study for years to come.

                                         Credits: Vivek Patil ( Team Historic Wednesday)

Sources :

Wikipedia.org : Indo-Greek Kingdom

Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from Menander: Indo-Greek King

Mairs, R. (2014). Project Muse: The Hellenistic Far East. University of California Press.

Middleton, J. (2004). Indo-Greek Kingdoms. In J. Middleton, World Monarchies and Dynasties (pp. 437-441). New York: Routledge.

Narain, A. (1957). The Indo-Greeks. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Pesala, B. (2001). The Debate of King Milinda. Alperton: Motilal Banarsidass.

Strabo. (n.d.). 11.11. In Strabo, Geographies. From Perseus Project

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