Apart from being well-known for its cashmere pashmina shawls, which even Roman emperors favored, the beautiful region of Kashmir in India was once ruled by more than eleven Greek kings.
Kashmir
The Hellenic history of Kashmir ended with the fall of the Indo-Greek Kingdom but continued with substantially Hellenized Indo-Scythians, Indo-Parthians, and the Kushan kingdoms that replaced the Indo-Greeks. The Indo-Greeks patronized Indo-Greek art, architecture, clothing, and the Greek language and script.
Greek inspired 1200 years old temple in Kashmir known as Martand temple.
A 1,200-year-old, Greek-inspired temple in Kashmir known as Martand Temple. Image source: Arunansh B. Goswami.
In total, there were about thirty-two known Greek kings who ruled the Indian sub-continent one after the other or sometimes as contemporaries.
In Kashmir, the rule of the Indo-Greek Kingdoms began in the second century BCE and continued until the early first century CE. Several Greek kings of Kashmir have been identified through the Kharosthti inscriptions and statues in the Lolab Valley.
These have been found by Mr. Iqbal Ahmad, a trained numismatist from Kashmir, and numerous Greek coins have been preserved in the Srinagar Museum.
Euthydemus, Eukratides, Menander, Demetrius, Appollodotus, and Hippostratus were some of the Greek Kings of Kashmir. Menander’s discussion with Nagasena, the Buddhist saint, recorded in the Milndaphana—a Buddhist book—is believed to have taken place in the laps of Zabarwan Hills near present-day Harwan, which is about 19 kilometers from Srinagar, the capital of Indian Kashmir.
It is noted that before his return, Alexander the Great had permitted his people, who were mostly comprised of Greek garrisons, to settle in the land he conquered during his military campaigns.
Several frontier tribes of the Kashmir region consisting of Gups and Dards are believed to be the descendants of soldiers of Alexander the Great. These people lived in the Gilgit, Hunza, Gurez, and Kargil areas of Kashmir.
A Greek inspired 1200 years old temple in Kashmir called Martand.
Ionian Greeks are said to have been the first to arrive in India. The term Yava which originated from Yavan, meaning Ionian—due to the Ionian inhabitants of the region—has been used in local Kashmiri folk literature, and it is still very popular in communication in the upper reaches of the Kashmir Valley, as per Mr. Iqbal Ahmad.
Similarly, when Kashmiris have to refer to a man or woman with a fair complexion, they say he or she is Yava. For them, Yava is one with a fair complexion and light-colored eyes. This was the characteristic feature of ancient Greek people.
Individuals of the Gupis and the Brokpas, famous tribes of Hunza, possess such a complexion. They are believed to be the descendants of Greeks.
There are several villages and places that are believed to possess the names of Hellenistic order to this day. These include, for example, Damudar, Nics in the Pulwama District, Munand in the Shopian District, and Memender and Harman. Others still include Mendar in the Poonch District and Lious in the Kulgam District. These places or villages represent the corrupt form of the names of the Indo-Greek princes, such as Demetrious, Nicias, Menander, and Lyasis.
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Plenty of coins of Menander and Appolodotus have been in Southern Kashmir. Prior to its excavation, Semithan (Bijbehara) yielded several Indo-Greek coins. There are still reports arriving from the Semithan regarding the discovery of such coins, but, unfortunately, many such coins go into hands of antique dealers who are hardly concerned with the historic value. Other archeological evidence also throws some light on the presence of Indo-Greek rulers in the valley.
A deposit of forty cans consisting of several floor levels was revealed at Semithan. The pottery is distinguished by a thin fabric with bright red, orange, or light-colored slip. A clay seal depicted an Indo-Greek deity. A significant find was the discovery of a pot with the inscription consisting of five letters externally engraved below the rim portion of the pot. It reads as Dharmorai or Dharmo (Rajai). Menander was very familiar in the region, and there are several places which carry his name. Two such places are also identified in southwest Kashmir—one as Mendhar in Poonch District and another as Meander in the Pulwama District.
Hellenism in Post Indo-Greek Kashmir
The Kushan conquest of Kashmir took place around 50 CE. Apparently, the Kushan aristocracy attempted to adopt the royal ideology of the Greco-Bactrian Kings (the Greek Kings of Central Asia) and its religious implications. It is, therefore, no accident that in the sculptural decoration of the Kushan manor-house at Khalchayan, the enthroned ruler and his wife appear yet again with Nike, as per archeologist Galina Pugachenkova.
At the time when Vima Kadphises became Kushan emperor, religious life came to be characterized by two interesting features. One was the adoption of the forms of Greek religious art and the other the Greek iconographic interpretation of Kushan divinities as mentioned in the research paper “Religions in the Kushan Empire,” by J. Harmatta, B. N. Puri, L. Lelekov, S. Humayun, and D. C. Sircar.
Kashmir was a significant province of the Hellenized Kushan Empire from the first century CE to the fourth century CE. It was in the period of Kanishka that the Fourth Buddhist Council was held somewhere in this land.
The Greek Kings of Kashmir were been tolerant and enlightened rulers, even though archeological finds and the coinage of the GrecoBactrian, IndoGreek and Kushan kings attest to worship of the major Greek Gods and Goddesses. These divinities included Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Helios, Hercules, Dionysus, the Dioscuri, Athena, Artemis, Hecate, and Nike.
In Hellenic Religion, the Naiads (/ˈnaɪædz, ˈneɪædz, -ədz/; Greek: Ναϊάδες, translit. naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over and protecting fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water.
They are distinct from River Gods, who embodied rivers, and the very ancient spirits that inhabited the still waters of marshes, ponds and lagoon-lakes such as pre-Mycenaean Lerna in the Argolis.
The Naiads are classified depending on Their domain:
The Crinaeae – The Naiad Nymphs of fountains and wells
The Limnades (or the Limnatides) – The Naiad Nymphs of lakes
The Pegaeae – The Naiad Nymphs of springs
The Potameides – The Naiad Nymphs of rivers
The Eleionomae – The Naiad Nymphs of wetlands
As with all Nymphs, the Naiads are depicted as beautiful maidens; often shown with a pitcher, as the Naiads are thought to carry water for their parents.
Though creatures from a different realm than the human one, Naiads are not necessarily considered to be immortal, for they live and die alongside their water source; so if a spring dries up, the associated Naiad perishes with it. It is also believed that Naiads have a finite lifespan, although Plutarch did suggest that this lifespan was 9720 years.
Apart from the bringing forth of water, Naiads are also protectors of young maidens; additionally, Their waters are often able to heal or help in prophecy. One of the important Pegaeae,(spring Naiads) , is Cassotis, a Naiad from the spring located at Delphi, one of the most significant Oracles in all of antiquity.
WORSHIP OF NAIADS
Due to their connection to one of the most essential elements for life and prosperity, the fresh water, the Naiads were often the object of archaic local cults, worshipped by humans. Boys and girls at coming-of-age ceremonies dedicated their childish locks to the local Naiad of the spring. In places like Lerna their waters' ritual cleansings were credited with magical medical properties. Also, the Naiads of island springs, like Aegina and Salamis,were extremely important to the Ancient Greeks,along with the Naiads of town fountains and wells, like Thebe and Thespia. These Naiads, as well as giving Their names to the regions themselves, were also considered to be very reason why people could live where they did.
TALES OF NAIADS IN HELLENIC RELIGION
Generally speaking, the Naiads are not considered to be the most helpful of NAymphs in Greek mythology, for They could be vengeful when angered; indeed, the Eleionomae, Naiads of wetlands, did not need a reason to be vengeful, and would simply cause individuals to become lost in the swamps.However, we need to bear in mind that Their abodes were fragile and often susceptible to human abuse. Therefore, having a fierce temperament is an essential personality trait when you try to protect a resource desired by all humans, due to necessity.
The Gods and the Naiads
Many Gods of the Hellenic Pantheon would chase after Naiads, and the lovers of Apollo included Cyrene, Daphne and Sinope, whilst Zeus was a lover of Aegina, Poseidon joined with Salamis, and Hades lusted after Minthe.
In one version of the story of the Charites, the Graces, these three maidens were born after a relationship between Helios and the most beautiful of all Naiads, Aegle.
As the same time though, many prominent individuals in Ancient Greece, and families, would have a family tree that included one or more Naiad.
Famous Naiad Stories
An example of the vengeful nature of the Naiads comes from the story of Daphnis and Nomia. Daphnis was a shepherd on Sicily, and the Naiad Nomia fell in love with him. She was faithful to him, but Daphnis was deliberately intoxicated by a princess on Sicily, so that she could seduce him. When Nomia found out, she blinded Daphnis.
Hylas and the Naiads
Probably the most famous tale of the Naiads concerns the Mysian Naiads of the spring of Pegae in Bithynia. The Argo stopped off in Bithynia when the Argonauts made their way to Colchis. The three Naiads, Euneica, Malis and Nycheia, observed Hylas amongst the Argonauts and kidnapped him.
The Argo would sail on without him, and the ship would also leave behind Heracles who vowed to search for his friend Hylas. Heracles did not find Hylas, but whether Hylas wanted to be found is questionable. Some say he had fallen in love with the Naiads, and stayed with them forever more.
Arethusa
Another famous Naiad, who went beyond Greece is Arethusa (Greek: Ἀρέθουσα). She is a Nymph who fled from Her home in Arcadia beneath the sea and came up as a fresh water fountain on the island of Ortygia in Syracuse, Sicily. She is the patron figure of Syracuse and Her depiction in ancient Greek coins of the region is one of the most beautiful ones.
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The Naiads have been honoured and respected by the Ancient Greeks as the Guardians of all regions that involve fresh water, the essence of life, agriculture and prosperity.
Edited from : Wikipedia, greeklegendsandmyths.com
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