Indo-Greek Kingdoms

Overview

Hellenistic kingdoms in NW India founded by Demetrius I of Bactria. Peak under Menander I (Milinda). Famous for Greco-Buddhist art and bilingual coinage. Displaced by Sakas ~10 BCE.

Territory Phases

1. Alexander's Empire327 BCE – 315 BCE

   Alexander the Great's conquest reached the Indus and Punjab (327-325 BCE). Defeated Porus at the Hydaspes, founded cities including Alexandria-on-the-Indus and Bucephala. His troops mutinied at the Hyphasis (Beas), forcing Alexander to turn back. He died in Babylon in 323 BCE; the eastern satrapies passed to his successors.

2. Seleucid Empire (in India)312 BCE – 300 BCE

   Seleucus Nicator inherited the eastern satrapies of Alexander's empire after the Wars of the Diadochi. Briefly held Gandhara, Arachosia, and Gedrosia until Chandragupta Maurya's conquest. The Chandragupta-Seleucus treaty (~305 BCE) ceded these territories in exchange for 500 war elephants, sealing the friendship between the Mauryan and Seleucid dynasties.

3. Greco-Bactrian Kingdom255 BCE – 180 BCE

   Greco-Bactrian Kingdom — Hellenistic successor state in Bactria and Sogdiana north of the Hindu Kush. Founded when Diodotus I declared independence from the Seleucids ~250 BCE. Capital at Bactra (Balkh) and the unique Greek city of Ai-Khanoum on the Amu Darya. Famous for refined Hellenistic coinage, Greek-language inscriptions, and cultural fusion with local traditions.

4. Indo-Greek Kingdoms180 BCE – 85 BCE

   Indo-Greek Kingdoms — established when Demetrius I of Bactria crossed the Hindu Kush ~180 BCE. Peak under Menander I (Milinda, ~165-130 BCE), who extended rule deep into the Indo-Gangetic plain and is celebrated in the Buddhist text 'Milinda Panha' (Questions of King Milinda). Famous for bilingual Greek-Kharoshthi coinage and the synthesis of Hellenistic and Indian traditions visible in Gandharan art.

5. Shakas (Indo-Scythians) — Early150 BCE – 45 BCE

   Early Indo-Scythian establishment in Bactria, Gandhara, and the Hindu Kush region. Following displacement from Central Asia, Saka groups moved south and east into the upper Indus and Helmand basins. Initially nomadic raiders, they gradually established satrapies in Gandhara.

6. Indo-Greek Kingdoms (Late)90 BCE – 10 BCE

   Late Indo-Greek period — fragmenting under pressure from the Saka (Indo-Scythian) migrations from the north and the Yuezhi from Central Asia. Multiple small Indo-Greek kingdoms persisted in pockets of Gandhara and the upper Indus. The last Indo-Greek king Strato II was defeated by the Sakas around 10 BCE, ending nearly two centuries of Greek rule in northwest India.

7. Shakas (Indo-Scythians)50 BCE – 50 CE

   Peak Indo-Scythian phase under Maues, Azes I, and Azes II. Extended from Gandhara/Taxila east to Mathura and south through Sindh. Famous for bilingual Greek-Kharoshthi coinage. Mathura became a major eastern satrapy, with the lion capital inscriptions documenting Saka rule.

8. Shakas — Western Kshatrapas45 CE – 270 CE

   Western Kshatrapas (Kardamaka dynasty) — most enduring branch of the Shakas. Centered on Saurashtra (Gujarat) and Malwa with capital at Ujjain. Famous for Rudradaman I's Junagadh rock inscription (~150 CE). Frequent conflicts with Satavahanas over the Narmada-Tapi frontier. Survived under Kushan suzerainty during their peak.

9. Shakas — Western Kshatrapas (Peak)265 CE – 350 CE

   Western Kshatrapas at maximum extent under Rudrasena and successors. Expanded northward into Rajasthan and parts of central India after Kushan decline. Continued the strong silver coinage tradition that influenced later Gupta coinage.

10. Shakas — Western Kshatrapas (Final)350 CE – 410 CE

    Final Western Kshatrapas — declining under pressure from the rising Gupta empire. Last ruler Rudrasimha III defeated by Chandragupta II Vikramaditya around 395 CE, ending nearly five centuries of Saka presence in India. Saka coinage and titles were absorbed into Gupta administration.

Key Rulers

Key Events

Related Civilisations

Sources

1. Tarn, W.W. (1951) The Greeks in Bactria and India
2. Bopearachchi, O. (1991) Monnaies gréco-bactriennes et indo-grecques
3. Singh, U. (2008) A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India
4. Mukherjee, B.N. (1988) The Rise and Fall of the Kushana Empire
5. Senior, R.C. (2001) Indo-Scythian Coins and History
6. Sircar, D.C. (1968) Studies in Indian Coins
7. Narain, A.K. (1957) The Indo-Greeks(Revised Tarn's chronology of Bactrian and Indo-Greek kings using numismatic evidence.)
8. Milindapanha (Pali text, c. 100 BCE–100 CE)(Buddhist dialogue between King Milinda (Menander I) and monk Nagasena. Tr. T.W. Rhys Davids 1890-94.)
9. Arrian, Anabasis Alexandri (2nd century CE)(Arrian's account of Alexander's campaigns, c. 150 CE. Primary source for the Indian campaign.)
10. Rapson, E.J. (1922) Catalogue of the Coins of the Andhra Dynasty, the Western Kshatrapas, etc.
11. Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman I (150 CE)(First major Sanskrit inscription; records repair of Sudarshana Lake. Standard edition: Kielhorn, Epigraphia Indica Vol. VIII.)