Thread by @TheEmissaryCo

The India They Saw

A 🧵 detailing the accounts of ancient India as seen by foreigners.

Meticulously compiled by Meenakshi Jain & Co, inspired by the initial suggestion of a Sir VS Naipaul.

A multi volume effort, I’ll post the most interesting snippets over time.

Let’s begin!

Herodotus was one of the first Greeks to mention the wondrous land of India

Ktesias was an early Greek chronicler of Indian history who heard the legends of the Itihāsa and fanciful descriptions of a mysterious land

Snake worship was a huge motif that fascinated the Greeks in India.

Perhaps the consequence of the victory of Astika in convincing King Janamejaya to stop his snake sacrifice at the end of the Mahabharat!

Abisaros (Abhisara) ruled Kashmir.

Strabo recounts the prior and this.

Ancient people of NW India loved to dye their beards different colors, had very colorful clothes, and did have instances of practicing sati.

They possessed much mineral wealth, but didn’t mine much.

Descriptions of mountain yogis worshipping Shiva (?) and consuming marijuana. Strabo mistakes Krishna for Heracles.

The Brahmin commitment to vegetarianism, lifelong ritual, brahmacharya, and imparting education is observed.

A strange “retirement” is mentioned featuring relaxed rules for some. Parallels between Greek & Indian thought is observed as well - almost Vedantic in description. The wandering Sraman is also mentioned & praised

Seems that settled Brahmin & roaming Sraman is a parallel theme.

Accounts of women studying philosophy in ancient India (Gargi Vachaknavi of course a forerunner here).

An early description of Swayamvara is believed to be ascertained from the account of a “boxing match.”

Pliny, a Roman scholar wrote about natural history and geography.

His writings identify the legendary Indian diamond-shaped subcontinent. With the great seas, mountains, & Indus as it’s borders.

A bountiful land it was said to be

Special note of Yogis’ tapasya/asana practices

Indians prized coral and pearls highly in ancient times.

Possibly a reference to the reverence of the conch/Shankh.

Pliny lamented at the trade imbalance between Rome & India as luxury goods flowed to Rome at a gargantuan pace.

Indian minerals were the most vast, varied, and prized in the Mediterranean world.

Arrian (96 CE), a Greek scholar who served in Rome, would first write a posthumous account of Alexander’s invasion into India.

Below is the description of the battle of Alexander and Porus at the river Jhelum (Hydaspes).

Alexander’s death count is probably undercounted lol.

The undercount is hinted at as the Macedonian forces dismay at the prospect of invading a mysterious land that apparently has even greater challenges than the already arduous Indians they faced. Not to mention the length of the campaign

Alexander OTOH is excited at the prospect.

Arrian then writes his famous Indika. Compiling prior records & explorations.

He outlines the borders of India. He considers the mountainous region from Turkey to the Pamirs as 1 great range. The Pamir section being the roof of India, Indus the west, & ocean south/east.

Bhārata

Arrian claims that Indians do not invade other nations nor were truly invaded till Alexander. He claims the great former conquerors Sesostris the Egyptian, Idanthyrsos the Scythian, & Semiramis the Assyrian Queen could not invade India.

Alexander was exceptional for Arrian.

Greeks loved their natural history. Always noting the wild flora and fauna of India as well as the geography.

Indians in the north resembled Egyptians, while Indians more south resembled Ethiopians. Gradient and mix across the land.

There are legends of Dionysus coming to India. He may be identified with an ancient king here (sometimes identified with Lord Shiva). Heracles is mistaken for Krishna again.

The lineage precision & year lengths are again an interesting aspect of how Indians viewed their history

The Mauryan Era Indian would be clad in all white. A dhoti & draped upper garment. Some would wear a turban & ivory earrings. Others would dye their hair shades of blue, red, green, etc. They would use umbrellas against the heat and wear elaborate white leather shoes.

The Indian soldier carried a colossal bow & arrows that penetrated all. An oxhide shield in their left hand. A javelin possibly instead of a bow in their right. But all carried a blade for close combat. The horsemen carried twin lances & a buckler.

The elephant was the highest vehicular status symbol. Chariot next, camel third, & horse last.

To win a maiden, one must demonstrate their virtues in a competition (again another Swayamvar motif).

Grain was a staple food for Indians, but the hillmen especially ate wild game.

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea provides a nautical account of the Indian Ocean trade. Indian plants and their derivatives were in huge demand across the world, with a hotspot of export in Barbarikon, Sindh (near present day Karachi).

Indian steel was also world renowned.

Barugaza (Bharuch) & the Gulf of Khambhat in general was a trading behemoth. Gujarati commerce has deep roots here.

The Deccan is also described as is the trading ports of Tamil India.

Greco-Roman passion for zoology is very endearing. Accounts of Indian fauna fascinated many ancient zoologists. One of whom is known as Aelian, a Roman who spoke excellent Greek. From the time of Hadrian.

Aelian first points out the ferocity of Indian dogs who would fight lions.

Alexander was a Mor-rakshak. Fascinated by peacocks & wanted to protect them.

The kind bond of Porus and his elephant is also attested.

If you can’t notice already - Alexander was a LEGEND to Greco-Romans. The epitome of daring and excellence.

Indian snakes were feared for their bite across all Greek sources - and that fear is matched by their awe of Indian antidotes against the poison.

Curiously, Indians believed that snakes who killed humans would bear ill karma & live a wretched life thereafter.

Echos of Parikshit

The executioner of the Indian death penalty was a bask of crocodiles.

An account of an Indian royal court is given. Gardens filled with peacocks, birds, and various exotic plants.

The parrot was sacred for its ability to imitate human speech.

Snake worship again a major theme.

A terrifying account of a great snake “god” that inhabited a cave near a conquered town. Said to be of gargantuan size as it peaked only its head out of the cave, eyes the size of a large Macedonian shield.

Greek flair or Indian divinity…

Perhaps the most interesting chronicler thus far - Apollonius - a sage, anti-Christ, & Egyptian god avatar all wrapped up into one. Apollonius would travel to India to observe and learn from the famed wise men and philosophers he had heard so much of.

Apollonius would become a vegetarian, celibate, and maintain a vow of silence - all apparently before he went to India.

Parallels with ahimsa, brahmacharya, and the maun vrat of Indians.

In Taxila, Porus is supposed to have built a temple to Aditya, the sun god, and also decorated it with murals and statues exalting Alexander the Great.

Apollonius on the famed Brahmins of India.

Asceticism, sun-worship rituals, Spartan hair and discipline, clad in white robes.

Some are said to have levitated 😎

A wise Indian sage called Iarches would have a discourse with Apollonius after showing him the customs of the land - ritual bathing, singing praises to the gods, using an amber ointment to heat the body.

Next we have a possible ode to “Aham Brahmasmi” & Atmajnan - soul knowledge

Iarches explains the theory of reincarnation. The transmigration of the soul.

He draws on the Homeric epic, the Iliad, to build rapport with Apollonius.

Greece, Egypt, and India were the nations considered to birth godlike men.

Iarches narrates a legend of Ethiopians being expelled by Indians, the King of the Ganga in fact.

He exalts the Indian who doesn’t revel in sacking cities but instead building them as opposed to Achilles.

He then reveals that he was that same King of the Ganga in a past life.

Diodorus Siculus was a Greek chronicler in the Roman Empire. He collected fragments about Indian history.

Apparently, the average Indian encountered were big & tall versus other peoples. Greeks claimed it due to their diets (clue as to what it was I prior tweets) & environment.

Very famous assertions here:

-Dharmayuddha observed in wars + reverence of farmers
-Indians did not have slavery*

*Slavery is mentioned by Chanakya tho. I assume maybe the Indians they encountered didn’t practice it or Indian slaves weren’t as ill treated as the rest of world.

A rock temple most likely from the Deccan/Maharashtra region that had a great idol of Ardhanarishwar - form of Shiva Shakti.

Ganga also mentioned on top of the idol’s head. A clue to the unity of divinity and sacred geography in the Indian subcontinent.

I want to make this clear - the Greeks were fascinated by the *lifestyle* as well as knowledge of the Brahmins. The asceticism, non-violence, mysticism, & general purity of how they lived was amazing to them.

Live up to the lifestyle to earn the respect. Nussing else to say.

We must bid adieu to the Greco-Roman portion of our journey. Now we’ll join travelers from the Middle Kingdom on their journey to the West as the Chinese make pilgrimage to the Land of Dharma…

We continue our journey looking East to Chinese accounts of ancient India.

See the below for Part 2 of The India They Saw 🧵🇨🇳☸️