Alexander the Great, Bactria and Indo-Greek States: 327 BC to 10 AD

This chapter details Alexander’s conquest of India and investigates Greek influences in the sub-continent before and after his invasion that influenced the political and socio-cultural development of the sub-continent. The chapter begins by exploring possible reasons that prompted Alexander to venture into the sub-continent in 326 BC such as an intellectual curiosity, rumours of the region’s wealth and his desire to annex Punjab and Sindh. Aristotle is credited with developing Alexander’s intellect and political acumen. Alexander’s military campaigns in the region include the Cophen Campaign, Battle of the Hydaspes (326 BC), triumph over the Mallian tribe and the failed conquest of Magadha. The chapter also explores Alexander’s role in destabilising the Mahajanapadas through Chandragupta Maurya, who later toppled the Nanda Dynasty and established the Mauryan Empire. Moreover, it explores the succession of power from Alexander to Seleucus, who established the Seleucid Empire and subsequently found himself in conflict with the Mauryan Empire. Both parties signed the ‘Peace Treaty of the Indus’, which granted Chandragupta Maurya all of Alexander’s territory in the sub-continent in exchange for war elephants. In 200 BC, the Graeco-Bactrian King Demetrius capitalised on the weakened economy of the Mauryan Empire and managed to fight and annex certain regions. Eventually, the Greeks were expelled from the sub-continent following the Arab invasion. The chapter concludes by highlighting the extensive literature that supports the exchange of knowledge between the Greeks and Indians in various fields such as art, architecture, literature and mathematics. The author draws upon historical records including the Babylonian Chronicles, Buddhist texts, and the writings of Arrian, Curtis, Strabo, Pliny, Megasthenes, Nymphis, Appian and Polybius to substantiate this analysis.