Greece–India relations are thebilateral relations betweenIndia andGreece. Greece has an embassy inNew Delhi. India has an embassy inAthens. As of 2023, the relation between the two countries is closer than ever and is considered historical and strategic by both parts.[1][2]
For theancient Greeks, "India" (Greek:Ινδία) referred to the polity situated east ofPersia and south of theHimalayas (with the exception ofSerica). However, during different periods of history, "India" referred to a much wider or much less extensive place.[3] The Greeks referred to theancient Indians as "Indói" (Greek:Ἰνδοί,lit.'people of theIndus River'); the Indians referred to the Greeks as "Yonas (Yavanas)"[4] in reference to theIonians.[5]
The Greeks referred to theancient Indians as "Indoi" (Greek:Ἰνδοί,lit.'people of theIndus River'). The Vedic Aryans referred to the Greeks as "Yavanas",[6] orYona or Yonaka,[7] in reference to theIonians.[7] "Yawan" is aHebrew term that refers to the ancient Greeks. The inscriptions inPali texts trace thePrakrit equivalent of theSanskrit word "Yavana" as "Yona."[7] It is suggested that the Indians took the word either from the Persians (who called the Greeks Yaunas) or from some Semitic language.[7]
Some of the iconography and motifs of Gandharan art reveal its influences from the Greek art. The Greek godTriton; the Dionysian motif of youth holding a leather pouch filled with wine; or cupids bearing garlands of flowers. From 2nd-3rd century, now inNational Museum of Korea.
InGreek Anthology, India and Indians are mentioned on many occasions.[8] InSophocles' playAntigone,Creon mentions the gold of India.[9] The satiristLucian wrote that Indians get drunk very easily with wine and they get worse than any Greek or Roman would be.[10]
TheYavana Ganika (Greek Ganika) was a common sight in India (Gaṇikā in India was similar to aHetaira in the Greek world). These girls were also trained in the theatrical arts.[11][12] The Indian theater had adopted some elements of Greek comedy.[13]Kalidasa mention theYayanis (Greek maidens) in his work.[14]
Hellenistic influence on Indian art is well documented.Gandhara art was heavily influenced by the Greek style. TheArt of Mathura is a blend of Indian and Greek art. ThePompeii Yakshii, an Indian sculpture of a Yakshii, was found in the ruins of RomanPompeii.Bharhut Yavana is a relief, discovered among the reliefs of the railings around theBharhut Stupa, representing a Greek warrior.
At theNasik Caves, some of the caves were built by people with Greek heritage. The murals in theAjanta Caves are painted in such a way which suggest a Greek influence.
Because of the high degree of similarity betweenNāgārjuna's philosophy andPyrrhonism, particularly the surviving works ofSextus Empiricus,[17] Nāgārjuna was likely influenced by Greek Pyrrhonist texts imported to India.[18]
Buddhism flourished under the Indo-Greeks, leading to theGreco-Buddhist culturalsyncretism. The iconography ofVajrapani is clearly that of the heroHeracles, with varying degrees of hybridization.[19]Menander I was one of the patrons of Buddhism; he was also the subject of theMilinda Panha and is mentioned on theShinkot casket. It has been claimed (byG. R. Sharma) that Menander is mentioned in theReh Inscription, but other scholars disagree. Many Greek rulers after Menander had the description "Maharajasa dhramikasa" (follower of the Dharma) next to their name on their coinage; this does not necessarily imply that they were Buddhists or that Buddhism was dominant in their kingdom, as symbols of the Greek religion were also on the same coins, but it does indicate that Buddhism played a significant role.[20] Buddhist manuscripts incursive Greek, dated later than the 2nd century AD, have been found in Afghanistan. Some mention the "Lokesvararaja Buddha" (λωγοασφαροραζοβοδδο).[21]
Coin of Strato I.Obv. Bust of Strato. Greek legend:ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΣΤΡΑΤΩΝΟΣ "of king saviour and just/ righteous Strato".Rev.Athena throwing thunderbolt.Pali legend:Maharajasa tratarasa Dhramikasa Stratasa "Great saviour king Strato, follower of theDharma".Coin ofPlato of Bactria with the godHelios (left) and sculpture ofSurya atBodh Gaya (right).Kanishka coin with Greek lettering "ΒΟΔΔΟ" (i.e. Buddha),Kushan Empire, 2nd century CE.
Dharmaraksita was a Greek who converted to Buddhism. He was one of themissionaries sent by theMauryan emperorAshoka to proselytize Buddhism.Mahadharmaraksita was a Greek Buddhist master who, according toMahāvaṃsa traveled toAnuradhapura in Sri Lanka together with 30,000 Greek Buddhist monks fromAlexandria of the Caucasus.[22] Mahāvaṃsa also mentions how early Buddhists from Sri Lanka went to Alexandria of the Caucasus to learn Buddhism.[22]
Now it is conquest byDhamma that Beloved-Servant-of-the-Gods considers to be the best conquest. And it [conquest by Dhamma] has been won here, on the borders, even six hundred yojanas away, where the Greek kingAntiochos rules, beyond there where the four kings named Ptolemy,Antigonos, Magas and Alexander rule, likewise in the south among theCholas, thePandyas, and as far asTamraparni. Rock Edict Nb13 (S. Dhammika)
Bindusara, the second Mauryan emperor of India, had diplomatic relations with and very friendly feelings towards the Greeks. He even askedAntiochus I Soter to send him a Greeksophist for his court.
"But [India] has been treated of by several other Greek writers who resided at the courts of Indian kings, such, for instance, asMegasthenes, and byDionysius, who was sent thither by Philadelphus expressly for the purpose: all of whom have enlarged upon the power and vast resources of these nations." Pliny the Elder, "The Natural History", Chap. 21[32]
Asoka also appointed some Greeks to high offices of state (Yavanaraja, meaning Greek King or Governor), for example, theTushaspha. In addition, his edicts mention a Yona (Greek) province on the north-west border of India, most probably the Arachosia.[33]
The Greek historianApollodorus and the Roman historianJustin, affirmed that theBactrian Greeks conquered India. Justin also describedDemetrius I as "King of the Indians". Greek and Indian sources indicate the Greeks campaigned as far asPataliputra until they were forced to retreat following a coup inBactria in 170 BC.
The KingPhraotes received a Greek education at the court of his father and spoke Greek fluently.[37]
Stephanus of Byzantium called the city Daedala in India an Indo-Cretan city, most probably because it was a settlement ofCretan mercenaries.[38][39]
Tamil poems described the Greek soldiers who served as mercenaries for Indian kings as "the valiant-eyed Yavanas, whose bodies were strong and of terrible aspect".[40]
TheCilappatikaram mentions Yavana soldiers, who, according to scholars, including Professor Dikshitar, is a reference to the Greek mercenaries employed by the Tamil kings.[42]
The settlement of Greek merchants in Bengal began in the early eighteenth century and lasted until the middle of the twentieth century.[43]
The trading house of theRalli Brothers which operated inKolkata andDhaka was the most important Greek business presence in India during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Dimitrios Galanos (Greek:Δημήτριος Γαλανός, 1760–1833) was the first modern Greek Indologist who lived for 40 years in India and translated many Sanskrit texts into Greek making available the knowledge of the philosophical and literary traditions of India in Greece and the rest of the world.
The church, cemetery and property of the Greek community of Bengal are currently managed by the Charitable Foundation of the Greek Orthodox Church inKolkata.
DNA analysis from the skeletons of theRoopkund Lake, revealed that 14 skeletons (dated ~1800 CE) had a genetic ancestry tied to Greece.[44][45]
Diplomatic relations between Greece and India started in May 1950. India opened its resident embassy in Athens in March 1978. The new Greek Embassy building inNew Delhi was inaugurated on 6 February 2001.
The graves of Indians who died in Greece during the twoWorld Wars are located in the memorial grounds of the cemeteries of the Allied Forces inAthens,Thessaloniki[46] andLemnos.
India and Greece enjoy close bilateral relations and Greece supports India's candidacy as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
The two nations are closer than ever amidst their shared rivalry with Turkey. Greece is one of the few nations which openly support India on the Kashmir issue. In 2023, India and Greece along with Cyprus and Israel also formed an informal economic partnership for extraction of oil in Western Mediterranean.
In February 2018, Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA) and Benares Hindu University (BHU) organized an international conference entitled "Dimitrios Galanos and his Legacy: Indo-Greek Studies 1790–2018" held in two phases, one in New Delhi and one in Varanasi, India.[49]
In November 2018, Europe's 1st International Symposium on Jainism was organized by ELINEPA at the Corfu Museum of Asian Art.[50]
In June 2019, the 17th International Hindi Conference was organized by ELINEPA in Athens.[51]
On 26 June 2021, the ministers of external affairs of Greece and IndiaNikos Dendias andS. Jaishankar and the mayor of AthensKostas Bakoyannis unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Athens.[52]
In November 2021, ELINEPA and theIndian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) co-organized a painting exhibition and a series of cultural events in New Delhi and Chandigarh as part of the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution.[53]
On 1 March 2022, a conferment ceremony was organized in Athens to present thePadma Shri Award from the president of IndiaRam Nath Kovind to the Greek Indologist Prof. Nicholas Kazanas for his distinguished service and contribution towards the enrichment of literature and education.[54]
In December 2022, the chair for Greek Studies atJawaharlal Nehru University and theHellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies (Venice) co-organized an International Conference on: "The Greek World and India: History, Culture and Trade from Hellenistic Period to Modern Times' at Jawaharlal Nehru University Conference Centre, New Delhi.[55]
In June 2023, theAcademy of Athens organized an Event on: "The research work of Indologist Miltiadis Spyrou and the unknown publications of Demetrios Galanos in India".[56]
About 35000 to 36000 Indian people live and work in Greece.[citation needed]
Annual bilateral trade stands at $0,83 billion. The figures from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) indicate that the trade balance is consistently in deficitto the detriment of Greece. In 2021, a deficit of €564,8 million was recorded as Greek exports amounted to €134,2 million, recording a significant increase of 74,6% compared to 2020, while imports to €699,1 million, recording an increase of 68,4% compared to 2020.[58]
Some Indian companies, like restaurants, mini markets and tourist agents, have started operating in Athens, Myconos, Santorini and other places in Greece. Greek companies also have partners in India.
An infrastructure consortium made up of India's GMR Airports Limited (GAL) and Greek GEK Terna has won the tender for the construction of the new Kastelli airport in Heraklion, Crete.[59]
^The historianDiodorus wrote that the king ofPataliputra, apparently a Mauryan king, "loved the Greeks": "Iambulus, having found his way to a certain village, was then brought by the natives into the presence of the king of Palibothra, a city which was distant a journey of many days from the sea. And since the king loved the Greeks ("Philhellenos") and devoted to learning he considered Iambulus worthy of cordial welcome; and at length, upon receiving a permission of safe-conduct, he passed over first of all into Persia and later arrived safe in Greece" Diodorus ii,60.
^"Diodorus testifies to the great love of the king of Palibothra, apparently a Mauryan king, for the Greeks" Narain, "The Indo-Greeks", p. 362.
_(52378337564).jpg)
