Tag: greater india

The Achaemenid Empire, under Cyrus the Great and later Darius I, expanded into the Indus Valley around the 6th century B.C. (600 B.C.).

Zero was invented by Indians. Once Zero was invented it transformed counting and Mathematics in a way that would change the World. This invention was spread to the world by Arabs. The Indians created a different symbol for every number for one to nine. They are today known as 'Arabic Numerals.'

The rise of Islam in India began with the conquest of Sind, one of the provinces in present-day Pakistan and one of the important sites of Indus valley civilisation. Muhammad-Bin-Qasim, a Umayyad general conquered the Sind and Punjab region in a very tender age of 17 in 712 AD. Sind invasion is considered one of the world's historic marvels as it led to the spread of Islam in South Asia.

The ancient Indians formed two kingdoms on the mainland of Indo-China namely  Champa  and Kamboja. In all probabilities, Champa was in the second century. It included Cochin China and region of south Annam. Amravati was its capital. Broadly ancient Champa corresponds to modern Vietnam. The Hindus established both the kingdoms before Christian era followed Hindu ancient tradition.

Both Ptolemy's Geography and various Sangam literature texts provide historical evidence of trade relations between ancient India and the Roman Empire.

The spread of Buddhism was due to the missionaries activities during the reign of Ashoka. He sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghmitra to Srilanka to popularise Buddhism. He sent missionaries in the region of China and Central Asia to spread the religion. During the reign of king Kaniskha, many Indian missionaries were sent to Central Asia and China. They introduced Mahayana's Buddhism in this region.

The Achaemenid contact with India introduced administrative and cultural elements, including the use of Kharoshti script, pillar inscriptions, and new coinage styles. All these options are historically recognized impacts of this interaction.

After the conquest of Sind, many Indian Scholars such as Bhala and Manaka were invited to Baghdad. An Indian physician Dhana served as chief medical officer in Baghdad. Knowledge on Hindu Philosophy, Mathematics, Astronomy and Medicine became popular with the Arabs and notable works on same were translated into Arabic with the help of Indian scholars.  Many noted Indian works on Astronomy such as Brahma Sidhanta and Khanda Khadyaka were translated into Arabic.

The Achaemenid dynasty, particularly under Cyrus the Great and Darius I, expanded into the Indus Valley, establishing the first direct contact between the Persian Empire and the Indian subcontinent.

The southern Indian dynasties, including the Cheras, Cholas, and Pandyas, were all known for their maritime prowess, extensive naval trade, and encouragement of overseas exploration.