@Izwat

8 months ago

The oldest mention of Greeks in Indian history is in the Yuga Purana, a Hindu text that was written sometime between the 2nd and 4th centuries CE. The text refers to the Greeks as "Yavanas" and says that they invaded India during the Kali Yuga, the current epoch of time in Hindu cosmology. The Yuga Purana is not the only Indian text that mentions the Yavanas. The Mahabharata, an epic poem that was written sometime between the 4th and 6th centuries BCE, also refers to them. In the Mahabharata, the Yavanas are described as a powerful and wealthy people who came from the West. The Greeks first came into contact with India in the 4th century BCE, when Alexander the Great invaded the subcontinent. After Alexander's death, his generals carved up his empire and one of them, Seleucus I Nicator, took control of the eastern provinces, including Bactria. Bactria was located in what is now Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and it was here that a Greek-speaking culture developed. In the 2nd century BCE, the Greco-Bactrian kingdom collapsed and a number of Greek kingdoms emerged in the Indian subcontinent. These kingdoms, collectively known as the Indo-Greek Kingdom, lasted for over 200 years. During this time, there was a great deal of cultural exchange between the Greeks and Indians. The Greeks introduced their language, art, and architecture to India, while the Indians introduced their religion, philosophy, and mathematics to the Greeks. The Indo-Greek Kingdom eventually collapsed in the 1st century BCE, but the legacy of the Greeks in India continued. The Indian words for "mathematics" and "geometry" are derived from Greek words, and many Indian architectural features, such as the dome and the arch, were introduced by the Greeks. The oldest mention of Greeks in Indian history is a testament to the long and lasting relationship between these two cultures. The Greeks and Indians exchanged ideas, goods, and people for centuries, and their mutual influence can still be seen today.

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