Pancika and Hariti with Cornucopia
Photo: Mukul Dey ArchivesForeign Influence on Indian Culture (c.600 B.C. to A.D. 320)
- by Manjari Ukil

Long before Alexander reached the gates of geographical India, the people of the subcontinent enjoyed a sporadic cultural interaction with their immediate western neighbours through the “lateral valleys” of Makran and the mountain passes of Hindukush, which were major land-routes.

The complex nature of Indian culture makes it almost impossible to trace the traits left by the “foreigners” in that remote past. In a diverse and culturally rich country like India, there remains very little difference between culture and civilization.