Published in Islamic Culture: The Hyderabad Quarterly Review, Jan 1935, pp. 167-171
Thanks to the research of scholars and the recent excavations of the Archaeological Survey of India we are to-day able to estimate the small part played before the birth of Christ [1] by Persia in the history of India [2].
The real history of ancient Persia begins from the time of Cyrus when he established the Achoemenian Empire in 560 B.C. In the course of time that empire grew in size and power with the addition of the North-west of India, Babylon, Seythia, Lydia and Egypt. In other words, the Achoemenian empire with such distant territories annexed to it became “a huger realm than was ever in the hands of one single man” [3]. But the conquests of Ancient Persia, besides being material, were also cultural. Besides wars, conquests, and plunder, the ancient Persian empires, whenever they annexed any new territory, carried on a mutual exchange of ideas and beliefs, giving to the conquered nation what was best of theirs and receiving in return what was best of the other’s. It was in this way that India was influenced by Persia; it was in this way that it happened that the first Suez Canal in history was constructed by Darius the Great of Persia for the welfare and prosperity of Egypt and not by Mons. Ferdinand de Lesseps, as we were taught at school [4].; it was, further, in pursuance of the same policy that the Jews were released from captivity and helped to rebuild their destroyed temple of Solomon by Cyrus of Persia when he conquered Babylon in 563 B.C., after they had been held captive there for seventy years by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Their gratitude to Cyrus was expressed by their calling him in the Bible “the anointed of the Lord” [5] and the shepherd [6] who performs the Lord’s pleasure [7].
Persia had a very close connection with India. According to Firdausi [8], the Homer of Persia, and Abu’l Fazl [9], the learned minister of Akbar the Great, many kings of the prehistoric period of Persia came to India, beginning with Hoshang and ending with Bahman, son of Isfandyar. But when we come to the historic period, whence India and Persia begin their true history, i.e., the sixth century before Christ, it is to be noticed that Cyrus, the founder of the Achoemenian dynasty came as far as Gandhara only, and it was left for Darius the Great to annex the North-west of India to his possessions a little after 517 B.C. [10] This conquered territory of India was a rich addition to the vast Achoemenian Empire, paying nearly 15 lacs of Rupees in present money as tribute [11]. Until 326 B.C., when Alexander conquered it, the north-west of India remained a Persian province and there is ample evidence to-day to show what a vast amount of influence was exercised by Persia over Ancient India during the two centuries of her rule and even after.
The name Hindustan is not indigenous. That name was given to the land of India by ancient Persians and not by the inhabitants of India themselves. The Hindu Vedas refer to India as ‘Sapta-Sindhu’[12], while the Avesta of the Ancient Persians call it ‘Hapta-Hindu’[13]. Hence according to the Vedas the land should have been called ‘Sindhustan’, whereas it has actually taken the name of ‘Hindustan’ from the Avesta ‘Hapta-Hindu’[14].
But the department in which India was influenced most by ancient Persia and of which we have ample evidence is architecture. Prior to the days of Asoka (263-226 B.C.), when the history of Indian Architecture begins, architectural works in India were made of wood. The change from wood to stone, inaugurated by Asoka, was influenced by Persia where there already existed stately buildings made of stone[15]. The influence started with Asoka, who, before being king, acted as Viceroy of Taxila where there was much Persian influence, as it was quite near the Persian borders. Taxila, Takshasila of the Sanskrit books, was a Persian province for nearly two centuries after the conquest of northern India by Darius. That long space of time was sufficient to enable Persia to influence India and we see that the people of Taxila followed the ancient Persian mode of disposing of their dead by leaving them to be devoured by vultures, instead of burning them as is the custom of the Hindus [16]. Further, at and around Taxila are found a great many Kharoshthi inscriptions and this Kharoshthi language was derived from the Aramaic language used by the Achaemenians of Persia [17]. Hence, Asoka, who was greatly impressed the civilization of old Persia during his viceroyality at Taxila, imitated several Persian models in his life, and his architectural works show the greatest debt of India to old Persia.
Take Asoka’s pillars and edicts for example. King Darius of Persia is well-known for his rock inscriptions the most famous being at Behistun [18]. He is equally famous for his monolithic pillars which were erected to mark some important events of his life- for example, the pillars erected on the banks to mark the completion of the Suez Canal [19], and those on the Bosphorus to commemorate the building over it of a bridge for his army to cross the strait [20]. Asoka was so much influenced by this practice of Darius that he not only copied the rock inscriptions, the best-known instances being the inscriptions of Gunar, Dauli, Kapurdingri, Jaugada and Khalsi, [21] but also built his still more famous monolithic pillars, thirty in number, inscribed as well as uninscribed, after the fashion of Darius [22]. This practice of having rock-inscriptions and monolithic pillars is quite foreign to India, and Asoka is the only king in the whole history of India who followed that practice of the Persian kings. The style used by Asoka in the rock-inscriptions is an exact copy of Darius, who begins with the words; “Thus saith Darius the King,”[23] while Asoka, imitating him, begins; “Thus saith His Sacred and Gracious Majesty the King”[24]. As regards the pillars we find that the architecture of old Persia made use of the famous bell-shaped capitals on the top of pillars. These capitals were further surmounted by lions or bulls, or other figures, the first two as symbols of strength [25].
The same things are repeated in Asoka’s pillars, especially in the pillars of Sarnath and Sanchi. These bell-shaped capitals of Persia appealed so much to India that even after Asoka they continued to be used by Indians and we seem them to-day at the Caves of Orissa, Bhaja, Karla etc. [26].
According to Dr. D. B. Spooner, who carried on excavations at Pataliputra (modern Patna) not only did Asoka build his monolithic pillars and inscribe his rock-inscriptions after the Persian fashion, but he even built his own palace at Pataliputra on the model of the famous palace at Persepolis, because there is a very close resemblance between the Palace of Persepolis and the palace of Asoka [23].
Another influence which Persia exercised over India is inthematterof the hair. The Persians wore long hair,[27] while the Indians, for reasons of climate, never encouraged long hair or beard. But during the Mauryan days, Indians also adopted the Persian mode of wearing long hair [28], so much so that we are informed by Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador at the court of Chandragupta, that “if one is guilty of a very heinous offence, the king orders his hair to be cropped, this being a punishment to the last degree infamous.”[29]. This reference clearly proves that the Indians had adopted the Persian fashion wholeheartedly. Besides, the ancient Persians are known to have observed the custom of having a ceremonial bath called Nahan (Sanskriti, Snanbath) once a year [30]. This practice of ceremonial bathing was borrowed by India, but it is only with regard to the kings that we have knowledge of it. Whether the people of India in general followed this Persian custom or not I am unable to say, but it is certain that the kings of India followed it. According to Strabo the ceremonial washing of the king’s hair was a great occasion, because “when the king washes the hair they celebrate a great festival”[31].
End Notes
[1] The Cambridge History of India (1992), vol. I p.346
[2] Vide budge, E. A. Wallis, A History of Egypt (1902) vol. VII, p. 68
The Cambridge Ancient History (1926), vol. IV, p.25.
Herodotus, II-158, Rawlinson, G. History of Herodotus, vol. II, pp. 205-207.
Herodotus, IV-39, Rawlinson, G. History of Herodotus (1858-60) vol. III, p.27.
Strabo, XVII-I- 25, Hamilton, H. C. and Falconer, W. The Geography of Strabo (1854-57) vol. III, pp. 243, 244.
[3] Isaiah, XLV-I.
[4] Ibid, XLIV-28.
[5] Ibid, XLVI-II.
[6] Shah-Namah.[7] Abu’l-Fazl-i-‘Alliami, ‘Ain-i-Akbari’, tr. By Blochmann and Jarrett, (1888-1894).
[8] McCrindle, J.W. Ancient India as described in Classical Literature, (1901) p. In.
[9] Herodotus, III-94, Rawlinson, G, History of Herodotus (1858-60) vol. II, p. 403.
[10] The Rig Veda, Book IV-28.
[11] Vendidad, 1-19.
[12] Vide Rawlinson, H.G. Intercourse between India and the Western world from the Earliest Time to the Fall of Rome. (1916) p. 20.
[13] Smith, V.A., A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, (1911), p.13.
[14] Strabo, XV-62, McCrundle, J.W. Ancient India as described in Classical Literature, (1901), p.69.
[15] Smith, V.A. Edicts of Asoka, (1909), p. XIX.
Marshall, Sir John. A Guide to Taxila, (1918), p.76.
Bhandarkar, D.R., Asoka, (1925), p. 187.
[16] Tolman, H.C., A Guide to the old Persian Inscriptions (1892), p. 118.
[17] Budge, E.A. Wallis, A History of Egypt, (1902), vol. VII, p.68
Tolman, H.C., A Guide to the Old Persian Inscriptions, (1892), p. 141.
12
[18] Herodotus, IV-85-87, Rawlinson, G., History of Herodotus vol. III, p. 62-66.
[19] Smith, V.A., Asoka, The Buddhist Emperor of India, (1920) pp. 126 ff
[20] Macphail, J.M., Asoka, (1st Ed.), p. 56.
[21] Vide Tolman, H.C., A Guide to the Old Persian Inscriptions, (1892).
[22] Vide Smith, V.A., Asoka, The Buddhist Emperor of India. (1920) pp. 149 ff.
[23] Cf. Fergusson, J., The Palaces of Nineveh and Persepolis, (1851) pp. 158-161.
[24] Vide Fergusson, J. History of Indian and Eastern Architecture (1910), vol. I. p. 59, p. 178.
[25] Report of the Archaeological Survey of India, Eastern Circle 1913-14, pp. 45 ff.
[26] Herodotus, IV-19, Rawlinson, G., History of Herodotus, vol. III. p. 343.
Herodotus, III-12, Rawlinson, G., History of Herodotus, vol. III. p. 338.
[27] Vide Smith, V.A., Asoka, p. 142.
[28] McCrindle, J.W., Ancient India as described by Megasthenes and Arrian (1877), p. 73
[29] Vendidad, VIII-11.
[30] Strabo, XV-69, McCrindle, J. W., Ancient India as described in Classical Literature, (1901) p. 75.
Cf. The Indian Antiquary, vol. XXXIV, pp. 201-203.
Published in Islamic Culture: The Hyderabad Quarterly Review, Jan 1935, pp. 167-171