Indo-Greek Kingdom

Prachi Mali
MA Sem II

Indo-Greek Kingdom also known as Greeko-Indian Kingdom consisted of more than 30 kings that ruled the parts
of North-western Frontier Province and some Northern India from 2 nd Century BCE to the beginning of 1 st Century
CE. The term Indo-Greek is generally used as these kingdom though cover northern regions were under that
Bactrians who settled in the subcontinent and always separated from Bactria and thus differed politically from
the Greco-Bactrian kingdom. The rule began when Demetrius, a Greeco-Bactrian king invaded India in 180 BCE,
carved an area out of southern Afghanistan and parts of Punjab.

Alexander the great invaded India in 327-325 BC after which the Greeks began to pave their way to set up an
empire in India. After the death of Alexander in 323 BCE, his great empire was divided under satrapies.
Seluecus Nicator who founded founded the Seleucid Empire possessed his territories of India, Central Asia and
Persia. Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya Empire in 322 BCE where he also won some greek territories if
India. Thus in an attempt to recapturing the lost territories that had come under the control of Mauryan Empire,
and also to become second Sikander he invaded India in 305-302 BCE. He led his army to Indus where he came
into contact with Chandragupta. We do not find any direct reference describing the conflict but it seems that the
Mauryan King was victorious and Hindu Kush, Punjab and parts of Afghanistan mainly Herat, Kandhar, and the
Kabul valley were handed over to him. This contention ended up with a peace treaty where Seluecus Nicator
married his daughter Helen to Chandragupta and in return he received 500 war elephants. Also he appointed
Megasthenes as a Greek ambassador in the Mauryan court.
The Greek stayed peacefully in the north western frontiers until the last Mauryan king Brhadrata was assassinated
by his commander-in-chief Pushyamitra Shunga who established Shunga Dynasty in 185 BCE and the Mauryan
dynasty was already on its way to disintegrate after the death of Ashoka.

Now meanwhile in 250 BCE Diodotus, Governor of Bactria asserted his independence and established the Greco-
Bactrian Kingdom that was closely connected to the mainland India. They
nurtured good relations with the subcontinent rulers. A city of Ai-
Khanum revealed some coins minted by the King Agathocles of Bactria
190-180 BCE. The coins interestingly are made in a very Indian style
depicting pictures of Indian deities like Vishnu, Shiva, Goddess Laxmi and
Balaram.

Obverse : Hindu Deity Balaram-Samkarshana with

Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΓΑΘΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ
(Basileōs Agathokleous).
Rev Vasudeva-Krishna with Brahmi legend:
Rajane Agathukleyesa "King Agathocles".

Obverse Lion with Greek legend: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΓΑΘΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ. Rev Lakshmi,

with Brahmi legend Rajane Agathukleyasa "King Agathocles".
Emperor Ashoka sent Buddhist Missionaries to the Greco-Bactrian region and some of the monks were also
Greco-Bactrian which is evident in Mahavamsa says that Ashoka sent a Yona (Yavana) monk named
Dharmarakshita on Konkan coast to preach Dhamma. Also he erected many eddicts at Kandhahar which are
written in Greek and Aramic, points the existence of large Greek settlement.

So after the Mauryan Empire collapsed (roughly in 185 BCE-183BCE) the political chaos prevailed led to the
establishment of new powers. Taking advantage of the time, Demetrius I decided to achieve what Alexander
could not- launch and establish a Greek Kingdom in India.

The real establishment off Indo-Greek Kingdom is traced with the invasion of King Demetrius in 180 BCE.
Demetrius was the son of the Greco-Bactrian king Euthydemus I. He led his troops crossed the Hindu Kush and
occupied territory as far as the capital of Pataliputra. Demetrius divided his army in two for the capture of
Pataliputra who himself decided to stay at Taxila. One army marched through Punjab and the Gangetic plains was
under general Menander who ravaged Saketa(Ayodhya) and Mathura and captured Pataliputra While the other
one advanced down the Indus went upto Malwa and captured Ujjain and later advanced to Pataliputra. Thus the
very important three Indian cities at a time were captured by Greeks.
Starbo quoted a 1st century BCE Greek Historian Apollodorus and add that the Bactrian Greeks, led by Demetrius I
and Menander, conquered India and occupied a larger territory than the Macedonians under Alexander the
Great, going beyond the Hypanis towards the Himalayas.
Justin, a roman historian also mentions the Indo-Greek conquest.
Some Indian texts describe Yavana attacks on Mathura, Panchala, Saketa, and Pataliputra.
Patanjali’s Mahabhashya indiresctly attribute the acttack on Saketa by the greeks when he gives an example of
imperfect tense in the text as "Arunad Yavanah Sāketam" ("The Yavanas (Greeks) were besieging Saketa")
"Arunad Yavano Madhyamikām" ("The Yavanas were besieging Madhyamika" (the "Middle country").
Gargi Samhita – another Sanskrit text also gives us information about Yavanas invading Pataliputra.
Also Yuga Purana describes the attacks of Indo – Greeks on Pataliputra and destruction of its city walls.
“Then, after having approached Saketa together with the Panchalas and the Mathuras, the Yavanas, valiant in
battle, will reach Kusumadhvaja ("The town of the flower-standard", Pataliputra). Then, once Puspapura (another
name of Pataliputra) has been reached and its celebrated mud[-walls] cast down, all the realm will be in
disorder." — Yuga Purana.
 Hathigumpha inscription of King Kharavela also affirms the invasion by Demetrius stating how fearsome the
situation was when he ravaged Mathura.
The inscription is stated as “Then in the eighth year, (Kharavela) with a large army having sacked Goradhagiri
causes pressure on Rajagaha (Rajagriha). On account of the loud report of this act of valour, the Yavana (Greek)
King Dimi[ta] retreated to Mathura having extricated his demoralized army” the name is not directly given but
historians like R D Banerjee and K P Jaiswal claim that it refers to Demitrius.

Sirkap is an interesting archaeological site that reveals the material

remains of Greek like city. Established by Demetrius, it was rebuilt by
Menander. Built according to the "Hippodamian" grid-plan characteristic
of Greek cities. It is organized around one main avenue and fifteen
perpendicular streets, covering a surface of around 1,200 by 400 meters
(3,900 ft × 1,300 ft), with a surrounding wall 5–7 meters (16–23 ft) wide
and 4.8 kilometers (3.0 mi) long. Many artefact including coins of Greco-
Bactrian kings and stone palettes representing Greek mythological
scenes are found. One of the oldest stupa of the subcontinent was built
here. Demetrius made Sirkap his capital. A Stupa at Sirkap bears oldest double-headed eagle motif.
After the death of Demetrius few weak Greco-Bactrian Kings ruled from Bactria …………………………..
In Bactria, around 165 BCE, Eucratides overthrew the Bactria-Greek empire defeating Antimachos II and
established his own rule, minted his own set of coins took the title of King and started invading Indo-Greek
territories as far as Indus and due to this threat Indo Greeks establish their new oriental frontier at Mathura.
A general of Demetrius who was successful in resisting these invasions and who established himself as the empire
of Indian territory and also occupied Bactria was Menander, the most successful Indo-Greek king. Menander was
the fisrt king to rule from India after the fall of Bactria having established his own Kingdom, he ruled from Sialkot.
King Menander is the most mentioned king amongst all Indo-Greek. Reference can be traced from his coins that
are multiple in number, inscriptions, contemporary historian and off course a vast literary source called Milind-
Panha. He also introduced a new coin type, with Athena Alkidemos ("Protector of the people") on the reverse.
Trade flourished as India traded with Europe via West Asia and to facilitate this trade Menander issued a large no.
of coins. The silver coins of Menander were known as Drachms. The coins of Menander carried legends in both
Greek and Kharosthi. The legends on his coins read the following: ‘Maharaja Tratarasa Menadrasa’. The earlier
silver coins of Menander carried a portrait of goddess Athena on the obverse and the figure of an owl on the
reverse. In another type of coin also carried the portrait of the king on the obverse and the reverse carries the
figure of Athena Alkidemos throwing a thunderbolt. Another series carries the portrait of King Menander wearing
a helmet and depicting him as throwing a spear in the obverse. The reverse depicted the portrait of goddess
Athena. The legend of these coins read ‘Of King Menander, the Saviour’.
King Menander is also mentioned in the accounts of Starbo, Justin and Plutarch. The Greek geographer Strabo
wrote that Menander had “conquered more tribes than Alexander the Great”

The Brahmi inscription5 written on the lower part of a victory pillar dating back to 140 B.C. of Indo-Greeks queen
Agatholia, wife of Menander I, discovered by D.P. Sharma from a temple at Kiritikhera village (Fatehpur Distt. In
U.P.), indicates that Indo-Greek even reached upto lower Ganga-Yamuna doab.

The Indo Greek Kingdom after death of Menander disintegrated due to weak rulers and increased invasions from
the North West. About twenty Indo-Greek kings are known to have ruled in succession in the eastern parts of the
Indo-Greek territory after the death of Menander.

Zoilus I, along with Agathocleia and Strato I, was the immediate successor of Menander. It is generally agreed that
Queen Agathocleia, whose name and portrait appear on a number of coins either alone or in conjunction with
those of Strato, was the mother of the latter. When the coins of Agathocleia are set in chronological sequence, we
can indeed observe that Agathocleia was regent during the infancy of her son Strato.

The reigns of Lysias, Antialcidas, Philoxenus, and Archebius , the later Indo-Greeks tried to bring back that glory.
But they were not succeseful. The Vidhisha inscription in Bramhi is also related to the later Indo-Greeks.

The Yüeh-chih tribe conquered Paropamisadae and Gandhara, dethroning Hermaeus. We find coins of Hermaeus
imitated by the Yüeh-chih.
In 85 BCE, Taxila was occupied by a Scythian prince named Maues inspite of Apollodotus II defending the attacks.
He regained the territory after subsequent efforts. However in 55 BCE another Scythian prince, Azes I captured
western Punjab, including Taxila and Pushkalavati from Hippostratus who became the last Greek king of that
region.
The last Indo-Greek Territory of Sailkot which was under the rule of Strato II was occupied in 10 CE by the
Synthian Satrap of Mathura bringing to an end the Indo-Greek rule.