Persian or Iranian Invasions

Throughout history, India has been invaded several times by different Western powers, kings and rulers. Out of those invasions, the Persian or Iranian invasion being one of them. 

Other countries have also invaded India, such as the Greeks, Afghans, Turks, and the British. This article will focus on the Persian invasions. 

The Persians mainly targeted the North-western part of India, and these parts of India had always been susceptible to foreign invasions.

Persian invasions 

Many Persian Invaders invaded India, mainly the North-western parts of undivided India. But we will learn about some important invaders from Persia. The Achaemenid rulers of Persia benefited from the disunity of the Indian kings and rulers, and attacked them several times. They invaded India between 600 BC and 400 BC. Cyrus the Great and Darius I were the Achaemenid empire rulers who invaded India.

Cyrus’ invasion of India

Cyrus was the first ruler and founder of the Achaemenid empire. Between 558  and 530 BC, Cyrus commanded campaigns to the east of Iran. He most likely penetrated the Indian borderland during his wars. 

Cyrus invaded as far as the Indus valley and gained victory over the Gandhara kingdom. During this period, small kingdoms such as Gandhara, Madra and Kamboja were busy fighting between themselves, and Cyrus took full advantage of it and invaded Northwest India.

Some historians believe that an Indian monarch sent an embassy to Cyrus to give him tribute. On this premise, it is thought that Cyrus conquered the Indian-Iranian borderland and received a compliment from some Indian rulers. This information about Cyrus can be found in the Behistun inscription.

Darius I’s invasion of India

Darius I was the successor and grandson of Cyrus. He started the invasion of the northwest part of undivided India in 516 BC. 

The conquest of Darius I is mentioned in the Hamadan (gold and silver) inscription. Darius invaded India and won the Punjab and Sindh region. He also occupied some parts of the Jhelum river valley. 

Gandhara is mentioned in the Behistun inscription as a region of Darius’ empire, which he may have acquired from Cyrus. This is further supported by Darius’s Susa Palace inscription, which states that teaks were brought from Gandhara for the emperor’s palace construction. Gandhara refers to Pakistan’s contemporary cities of Peshawar and Rawalpindi. 

Darius I also invaded some parts of west Punjab, and during his time the Persian empire expanded the most.

Xerxes’ invasion of India

Xerxes was the successor and son of Darius I. He kept the kingdoms of India under his empire, but did not expand the Persian kingdom any further into the Indian mainland. 

Xerxes used large numbers of Indian troops, including cavalry, and weapons, for the invasion of Greece.

The downfall of the Persian empire

The Persian dominance in India declined due to Xerxes’ defeat in Greece. However, the Achaemenid dynasty ruled India until 330 BC. Darius III, the last of the Achaemenid rulers, called on Indian soldiers to oppose Alexander the Great in that year. The Persian rulers that came after Darius III were not as strong and had no interest in further invading India.

Effect on India after the Iranian invasions

Politically, socially, economically and culturally, India underwent a lot of changes due to the Iranian invasions. These invasions lasted for roughly 200 years. The effects of these invasions are as follows:

• The Iranians introduced a brand new writing pattern known as the Kharosthi script. The kharosthi script is similar to the Arabic script, which writes right to left
• The Iranian/Persian form of sculpture-making is visible in Mauryan architecture. The Persian model inspired the bell shape of Ashoka’s monuments. Indian emperor Ashoka adopted the use of refined and polished stone pillar architecture from Persia
• The sea route from Persia to India was discovered during this time. The trade between Iran and India commenced at this time, with cotton, indigo, silk, and valuable metals being traded
• A vast number of foreigners settled on Indian soil
• Indian philosophers, poets, scholars and intellectuals went to Persia to spread Indian culture
• The Persian silver coin was beautifully designed, and Indian kings also adopted a similar type of artistic coin as currency
• The Indian people adopted certain rituals and ceremonies from Persia after the invasions
• Some positive and negative changes happened in India after the Iranian invasions

Conclusion

The Indian subcontinent was vulnerable to Western invasions throughout its early history. The invasions started in ancient times around the sixth century BC and ended in the fourth century BC. 

India’s wealth and fertile land attracted a prominent number of Western invaders, including the Persians. Many Persian kings and tribal leaders invaded India; of these, the major rulers were Cyrus, Darius I, Xerxes and Darius III. Due to these multiple invasions, India was affected socially, politically, culturally and economically.