Indo-Greeks

Definition

The Greek (Bactrian) rulers who invaded and governed parts of the north-west of the Indian subcontinent from about the 2nd century BCE, the first of the foreign powers (the Indo-Greeks, Shakas, Parthians and Kushanas) to enter India after the Mauryas declined.

Key points

• They came from Bactria (northern Afghanistan), a Greek kingdom that had broken away from the Seleucid empire founded by Alexander's successors.
• Menander (Milinda) was the most famous Indo-Greek king; he ruled from Sakala (Sialkot), converted to Buddhism and figures in the Pali text Milindapanha (the "Questions of Milinda").
• They were the first rulers in India to issue gold coins and the first to issue coins bearing the king's portrait and name, a major advance in numismatics.
• They introduced Hellenistic features into Indian coinage and art; the Indo-Greek presence in the north-west shaped the later Gandhara school of Greco-Buddhist sculpture.
• Greek influence is also seen in astronomy and astrology (the word "horashastra"), in theatre, and in the use of the Kharoshthi and Greek scripts on coins.

Why it matters for CAPF

Menander-Milindapanha-Buddhism, the Indo-Greeks as the first to issue gold and portrait coins, and their Bactrian origin and link to Gandhara art are recurring post-Mauryan facts.

Common confusion

The Indo-Greeks are distinct from the Shakas (Scythians), Parthians and Kushanas who followed; their key contribution was numismatic (portrait and gold coins) rather than territorial size, since their rule was confined to the north-west.

Parent note

post mauryan and gupta age