SEMTHAN ~ A HELLENISTIC OUTPOST IN KASHMIR HIMALAYA ~ PDF

A research paper on the archaeologiacal site of Semthan. 

For those who wish to read it, it's available here in pdf form for free.

 Click on this link https://www.academia.edu/73922838/Semthan_A_Hellenistic_Outpost_in_Kashmir_Himalaya

IMPRINTS OF GREEKS IN JAMMU ~ KASHMIR

In the ancient local traditions there is mention of one Abhisara named king of Poonch and Nowshera, who is believed to have held Jammu and Kashmir during the times of Alexander the Great.

He is recorded to have surrendered to Alexander and then Porus was appointed in charge of the whole area which Alexander had conquered. The area lay between the Beas and the Jhelum. The King of Texila, Ambhi was given the territories west of Jhelum while Abhisara’s authority was extended up to Kashmir.

We don't have many details available about king Abhisara . In fact, he is being mentioned in classical history literatures, but his authority over Kashmir is not testified by any other source. However, Alexander’s numismatic finds in Jammu and Kashmir provide certain clues of his campaign of the areas bordering Jammu and Kashmir and the possibility of his visit of the land which since times immemorial was attractive for its visitors.

In fact, there are several ancient events and evidence related with several ancient Greek Kings found in Jammu and Kashmir. Abhishara is recorded to have been the king of Nowshera and Poonch when Alexander invaded the empire of Porus. There are several villages and towns of Jammu and Kashmir which have Greek origin. The historic town of Menander in the same District is believed and to have been founded in the name of Menendra, the most famous Indo-Greek King who had his capital at Sangla in present-day Sailkote which is only few kilometers from R.S. Pura Jammu. There is a lot of numismatic and historical evidence about Menander in Jammu and Kashmir. Demetrious and Menandra are recorded to have enjoyed their political authority on the lands which included parts south of Kashmir as well.

The stone ruins  and the basement of some stone structures are found scattered on a plateau at Sakhi Madian Village of Mender. While there are possibilities of finding of some more evidence related to King Menander, the site is yet to undergo any scientific exploration- so nothing can be said in advance. However, in the local folklore, there are various interesting stories related with this site. As far as its surface evidence is concerned, there are remains of some built structures under its debris.

One more interesting story of ancient Greeks is related with Baffaliyaz, a small town of the district Poonch, which is situated on the historic Mughal road. An interesting  story  about this place states that it is the place where the Alexander lost his cherished horse, Bucephalus, during his expeditions towards Indian subcontinent.

Most of the people are well aware of Alexander the Great. He is well mentioned in the folk traditions of Jammu and Kashmir and is here known by the name of Sikinder Azam. His one of the battles which he fought with Raja Porus is also very much popular among the local story tellers. There are also various Persian literary works about Alexander. These works are titled as Sikander Nama and such works are housed in various museums, archival repositories and libraries of Jammu and Kashmir.

There is one such well preserved manuscript of Sikander Nama housed in Dogra Art Museum at Jammu. This manuscript gives us a detailed description of adventures which he went on, towards east and west.

Besides, coins of Alexander have also been found in Jammu and Kashmir and few of the ancient Macedonian coins are also housed in the numismatic collection at SPS Museum Srinagar.

One of the interesting pieces of coin depicting the battle scene of Alexander and Porus is also preserved in the numismatic collections of the British Museum.

Historically speaking, Sikander Azam is known by the name of the Alexander the Great, and plenty of historical accounts are available, which tell us the story of Indian expeditions of this Macedonian king.

An oral tradition preserved here states that the battle between Alexander and Porus took place somewhere near the olden town of Poonch. Several Kashmiri scholars identify a village in Poonch District of the Jammu and Kashmir called Baffaliyaz, located in the lap of Pirpanchal as the place named after the beloved horse of Alexander. They cliam Baffaliyaz as the corrupt form of Buccaphalus. Mohammad Yousuf Taing, the eminent historian and author in one of his articles published in Kashmiri Shiraza has claimed that Baffaliyaz is the corrupt form of Buccaphalus. And it is the place where Sikinder lost his cherished horse named Bucephalus during a fight with Porus. In fact Alexander was encountered by Porus in Dravabhisar in the lower belt of the River Jhelum. The area has been identified as that of Poonch region. We cannot be absolutely certain about the credibility of this story. But if Baffailyaz is named after the name of Buccaphalus then the fight may have taken place somewhere near Poonch, which is one of the olden towns of the Jammu and Kashmir and mentioned in the olden indigenous and foreign records as well.

Indian traditions record that Porus was one of many local kings who impressed Alexander. He was asked by Alexander how he wished to be treated. “Treat me, Alexander, the way a King treats another King”, Porus responded.

Alexander was very much excited by his brave reply and instead of bringing any kind of harm to him; he rewarded him by granting more empires to him. He later founded Alexandria Nikaia (Victory), located at the battle site, to commemorate his triumph. He also founded Bucephalus on the opposite bank of the river in memory of his much-cherished horse, Bucephalus, who carried Alexander through the Indian subcontinent and died heroically during the Battle of Hydaspes (Jhelum). The local scholars have been identifying Baffaliyaz with Buceaphalus , the site fist founded by Alexander in the name of his horse.

The Menender and Baffaliyaz are two most famous sites traditionally related with ancient Greeks, but so far no archaeological expeditions have taken place. The Archaeology Department and Jammu University shall under take archaeological exploration of this valley.

However, it is worth noting that  there are reports that ancient Greek evidence have been found in Jammu. Dr. Michael Matcher, in his monumental numismatic book classical world has attributed several Greek coins to Jammu and Kashmir section of his book. He has claimed that these coins have come from Jammu region. Besides it is also presumed that Jammu has been included into the Indo -Greek empire during the rule of king Menandra, who is known to have set up his capital at Sangla present day Sailkote.

Edited by article of  Iqbal Ahmad

GREEK INFLUENCE IN KASPERIA (KASHMIR )

 

Modern day Kashmir was called by the Ancient Greeks  Kasperia, which has also been identified with Kaspapyros of Hecataeus of Miletus (apud Stephanus of Byzantium) and Kaspatyros of Herodotus (3.102, 4.44). Kashmir is also believed to be the country meant by Ptolemy's Kaspeiria.

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.

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. 

It is said that Greeks are everywhere . Then, how can they not be in the paradise of Kashmir! The Greek origins of several tribes in this region are an important topic for further research.

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.

Nonetheless, the Greeks of Kashmir equally patronized the worship of Zoroastrian, Hindu, and Buddhist deities, and the spread of Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism in the Indian sub-continent and the world has phenomenally been influenced by Greek contribution. Indeed, the Greeks left their timeless mark in Kashmir.

Edited from Wikipedia and The Greek Reporter