Greek Krishna

Dr Uday Dokras

The two parties to the Hellinization of the Indian Subcontinent were the Greeks and
“Indians”. The former came by way of Alexander and other channals established as per that
adventure. There was a time when The Indo-Greeks were influenced by the Greeks since they
were exposed to so much of their culture, philosophy, art, and architecture. The artists that
worked in Bactria also worked in a place called Gandhara, India, as well. We can see the
influence of Greek artists on Indian sculptures in that region. As a result, Buddhist sculptors
were either Greeks or learned from the Greeks. The same people worked in Bactria and
Gandhara and we can see that by comparing the art on the coins because both places had the
same Indo-Greek monarch.All the Buddhist sculptures of the 3rd century BCE did not show
the image of Buddha but depicted him in the form of an icon such as a Dharma Chakra
(Wheel of the Dharma), a throne, a pair of footprints or a Bo (or bodhi or papal) tree. It was
only in the Hellenistic era that the Buddha was shown in an iconic form.

So how do we tell the history of Greek influences on India and also of Alexander, when much
of it is steeped in myth and pulling apart the myths and legends and reconstructing an
accurate narrative can be difficult? Though it’s a difficult task, but it’s an important one,
because the history of Alexander is a history of the Greek empire, which had a massive
influence on vast regions stretching across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Alexander the Great can
be said to be responsible for the Greek influence in Ancient India. He started to conquer
kingdoms in the east and made it all the way modern Pakistan and the Indian state of Gujarat.
He turned back once he was defeated by King Porus in 326 BCE. One of the major reason for
indo Grecian associations were the conquests of Alexander and the influence spread by him.
We have ancient narratives of Alexander’s life, written between 30 BCE and the third century
CE—hundreds of years after his death. The earliest known account is by the Greek historian
Diodorus, but we also have histories written by other historians, including Roman historians;
these writers are called the Alexander historians. They interpreted written accounts from
shortly after Alexander’s death, penned by those who fought alongside Alexander on his
campaigns.

1
 Architectural element showing the Buddha's first sermon, approx. 200–400. Pakistan, former kingdom of Gandhara.
Phyllite. Courtesy of the Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection /Detail showing Alexander the
Great.
It’s unclear how reliable these narratives are, however, as they are mingled with the
propaganda of various Greek and Roman states, who were ruled by emperors that used
Alexander’s image to cement their own power. In order to get a fuller picture, historians
interpret sources from other regions of Alexander the Great’s empire, like Babylon. On one
Babylonian tablet, for example, Alexander’s death is recorded with an inscription in
Akkadian that reads “on the 29th day, the king died.

The Greco Buddhist-GHANDHARA Buddha

Similarly, the concept of a "Greek Krishna" primarily refers to the Greek identification of
the Hindu deity Lord Krishna with the Greek hero Heracles (Hercules). Greek historians and
travelers like Megasthenes in the 4th century BCE noted similarities between the stories and
attributes of Krishna and Heracles, such as their shared heroic deeds like killing demons and
their worship in the region of Mathura. This identification is also supported by Indo-Greek
coins from the 2nd century BCE that depicted figures resembling Krishna and Balarama.
Megasthenes, a Greek ethnographer and an ambassador of Seleucus-I to the court
of Chandragupta Maurya towards the end of 4th century BCE, made reference to Herakles in
his famous work Indica.

The India connection with Greece is made first through Euripides’ Bacchae by way of
Dionysus’ return from the east. The penetration into general consciousness did not happen
until later after Alexander’s Graeco-Macedonian propaganda machine set to work its way.
“India” was a regarded as a high ground for fertility, especially when accounts from the
Greek side typically mentioned the “very swarthy” aspect of “Indians,” though not at the
level of Ethiopians.

Alexander’s idea of the highest cultural manifestations included Dionysus and Heracles. And
out of his propaganda machine came the idea that all gods that the “Indians” revered were
actually Greek gods. Krishna was absorbed as Heracles, this represented Graeco-Macedonian
popular consciousness more than Megasthenes alone because Heracles as Krishna is not
specifically mentioned in the book Indica authored by him.

Homeric Greek poets in the Hellenized world such as Nonnus also later contributed to the
Greek cultural superiority propaganda either by way of ascribing an earlier date to Greek
civilization through dubious frameworks invented or by ascribing to the Greeks the honour of
bringing civilization to the “Indians.’

Historical Evidence and Identification

 Megasthenes's "Indica":
The Greek ambassador Megasthenes, who visited India during the Mauryan Empire,
identified Krishna with Heracles, describing the worship of Heracles in the region of the
Sourasenoi, which refers to the Shurasen clan of the Yadavas to which Krishna belonged.
 Herakles/Hari-Krishna Phonetic Equivalence:

2
 Some scholars suggest that the Greek name Herakles may be a phonetic adaptation of Hari-
Krishna by the Greeks, a theory supported by similar linguistic resemblances
like Methora for Mathura and Jobares for the Yamuna River.

 Roman Accounts:
The Roman historian Quintus Curtius noted that Porus's soldiers carried an image of
"Hercules" (Krishna) in their vanguard during their confrontation with Alexander.
 Indo-Greek Coins:
Indo-Greek coins from the rule of King Agathocles (c. 180-165 BCE) feature images of
figures that are interpreted as Krishna and his brother Balarama.
Similarities in Mythology

The identification was based on striking similarities between the mythological exploits of
Lord Krishna and Heracles, such as:

 Killing Demons:
Krishna slaying the demon Kaliya is comparable to Heracles killing the Hydra.
 Overcoming Obstacles:
Krishna's feat of lifting the Govardhan Mountain has parallels with Heracles's mythical
tasks, such as defeating the Stymphalian Birds and the Cretan Bull.

Historical and literary sources

The tradition of Krishna appears to be an amalgamation of several independent deities of
ancient India, the earliest to be attested being Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva was a hero-god of the
tribe of the Vrishnis, belonging to the Vrishni heroes, whose worship is attested from the 5th–
6th century BCE in the writings of Pāṇini, and from the 2nd century BCE in epigraphy with
the Heliodorus pillar. At one point in time, it is thought that the tribe of the Vrishnis fused
with the tribe of the Yadavas, whose own hero-god was named Krishna. [43] Vāsudeva and
Krishna fused to become a single deity, which appears in the Mahabharata, and they started
to be identified with Vishnu in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. Around the 4th
century CE, another tradition, the cult of Gopala-Krishna of the Ābhīras, the protector of
cattle, was also absorbed into the Krishna tradition.[43]

Early epigraphic sources- Vāsudeva-Krishna

Depiction in coinage (2nd century BCE)

3
Vāsudeva-Krishna, on a coin of Agathocles of Bactria, c. 180 BCE. This is "the earliest
unambiguous image" of the deity.
Around 180 BCE, the Indo-Greek king Agathocles issued some coinage (discovered in Ai-
Khanoum, Afghanistan) bearing images of deities that are now interpreted as being related
to Vaisnava imagery in India. The deities displayed on the coins appear to be Saṃkarṣaṇa-
Balarama with attributes consisting of the gada mace and the plow, and Vāsudeva-Krishna
with attributes of the shankha (conch) and the sudarshana chakra wheel. According
to Bopearachchi, the headdress of the deity is actually a misrepresentation of a shaft with a
half-moon parasol on top (chattra).

Inscriptions

Heliodorus Pillar in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, erected about

120 BCE. The inscription states that Heliodorus is a Bhagvatena, and a couplet in the inscription closely
paraphrases a Sanskrit verse from the Mahabharata.
The Heliodorus Pillar, a stone pillar with a Brahmi script inscription, was discovered by
colonial era archaeologists in Besnagar (Vidisha, in the central Indian state of Madhya
Pradesh). Based on the internal evidence of the inscription, it has been dated to between 125
and 100 BCE and is now known after Heliodorus – an Indo-Greek who served as an
ambassador of the Greek king Antialcidas to a regional Indian king,
Kasiputra Bhagabhadra. The Heliodorus pillar inscription is a private religious dedication of
Heliodorus to "Vāsudeva", an early deity and another name for Krishna in the Indian
tradition. It states that the column was constructed by "the Bhagavata Heliodorus" and that it
is a "Garuda pillar" (both are Vishnu-Krishna-related terms). Additionally, the inscription
includes a Krishna-related verse from chapter 11.7 of the Mahabharata stating that the path
to immortality and heaven is to correctly live a life of three virtues: self- temperance (damah),
generosity (cagah or tyaga), and vigilance (apramadah). The Heliodorus pillar site was fully
excavated by archaeologists in the 1960s. The effort revealed the brick foundations of a much

4
larger ancient elliptical temple complex with a sanctum, mandapas, and seven additional
pillars. The Heliodorus pillar inscriptions and the temple are among the earliest known
evidence of Krishna-Vasudeva devotion and Vaishnavism in ancient India.

Megasthenes, a Greek ethnographer and an ambassador of Seleucus-I to the court

of Chandragupta Maurya towards the end of 4th century BCE, made reference to Herakles in
his famous work Indica. This text is now lost to history, but was quoted in secondary
literature by later Greeks such as Arrian, Diodorus, and Strabo. According to these texts,
Megasthenes mentioned that the Sourasenoi tribe of India, who worshipped Herakles, had
two major cities named Methora and Kleisobora, and a navigable river named the Jobares.
According to Edwin Bryant, a professor of Indian religions known for his publications on
Krishna, "there is little doubt that the Sourasenoi refers to the Shurasenas, a branch of
the Yadu dynasty to which Krishna belonged". The word Herakles, states Bryant, is likely a
Greek phonetic equivalent of Hari-Krishna, as is Methora of Mathura, Kleisobora of
Krishnapura, and the Jobares of Jamuna. Later, when Alexander the Great launched his
campaign in the northwest Indian subcontinent, his associates recalled that the soldiers
of Porus were carrying an image of Herakles.

Megasthenes was a Greek historian who came to India in the fourth century B.C. as a
ambassador of Seleucus Nicator. Mauryan Empire was the greatest of world, full of
prosperity. Actually he didn’t identified Sri Krishna as Heracles in-fact he, due to problem to
pronounce Hare Krishna; pronounced him “Heracles”. The incorrect names may be because
the Greek, like other westerners, were not able to pronounce the Sanskrit words or Indian
names correctly. Many scholars have suggested that the deity identified as Heracles was Lord
Krishna. Edwin Francis Bryant adds the following in this regard:
“The Sourasenoi refers to the Shurasenas – a branch of the Yadav dynasty to which Lord
Krishna belonged; Heracles to Hare-Krishna; Mehtora to Mathura – Lord Krishna’s birth
place; Kleisobora to Krishnapura – the city of Lord Krishna; and the Jobares to the Yamuna
– the famous river in the Lord Krishna story.”

 Quintus Curtius, a Roman historian, mentions that when Alexander confronted

Indian King Puru. Puru’s soldiers were carrying an image of Heracles (Hare
Krishna) in their vanguard. Puru being a devotee of Sri Krishna used to read
Bhagwat geeta before going to war to increase the motivation.
 Greek scholar “Seleucus” states that the city Polibrotha (Pataliputra or Patna) was
founded by Heracles, 138 generations before the reign of King Sandrocottas (The
Greek name for Chandragupta Maurya)
 Similarities between stories also confirms this.

1. Story of fighting with Hydra( kaliya)

2. Heracles Killing The Stymphalian Birds And Lord Krishna Killing Bakasura – The
Bird Demon.
3. Heracles Capturing the Cretan Bull and Lord Krishna Slaying Arishtasura – The
Bull Demon
4. Heracles Rounding Up Horses Of Diomedes and Lord Krishna Battling Against
keshi – The Horse Demon
5. Heracles Carrying World And Lord Krishna Carrying Govardhan Mountain

The Greeks didn't have the policy of modern religions as your God and my God.
They tried to see similarities and merge their Pantheon with the people they interacted with.

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So we have many local Goddess and Gods adding in the Greek Pantheon.
Eg. The Temple of Artemis in Turkey
The legend of Io becoming Isis.
Osiris worshipped as Serapis etc.
Similarly Krishna was associated with Heracles/Hercules.
Krishna slaying Kaliya the serpent

Hercules slaying Hydra the monster

Do you see the connection here….

Some legends were similar so identification was obvious
The Greek tradition was carried forward by the Romans and many new deities emerged like
Mithra who according to scholars is the pre cursor for birth legends of Jesus

Heliodorus pillar

Heliodorus pillar in Vidisha, India.

Created 113 BCE

Period/culture late 2nd Century BCE

6
 Place Vidisha, Madhya
Pradesh, India.

Present location Vidisha, India

INDO-
GREEKS

Heliodorus
pillar

Taxila
SATAVAHANAS

MAHAMEGHA-
VAHANAS

MALAVAS

SHUNGA
EMPIRE

The Heliodorus pillar was erected and dedicated by

Heliodorus, an Indo-Greek ambassador to the Shunga
Empire

The Heliodorus pillar is a stone column that was erected around 113 BCE in
central India[1] in Besnagar (Vidisha), Madhya Pradesh. The pillar is commonly
named after Heliodorus (identified by him as a Garuda-standard), who was an
ambassador of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas from Taxila, and was sent to the
Indian ruler Bhagabhadra.[2] A dedication written in Brahmi script was inscribed on
the pillar, venerating Vāsudeva (Krishna), the Deva deva the "God of Gods" and the
Supreme Deity.[3][4][5][6] The pillar also glorifies the Indian ruler as "Bhagabhadra the
savior". The pillar is a stambha which symbolizes joining earth, space and heaven,
and is thought to connote the "cosmic axis" and express the cosmic totality of the
Deity.[3]

7
The Heliodorus pillar site is located near the confluence of two rivers, about 60
kilometres (37 mi) northeast from Bhopal, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from the
Buddhist stupa of Sanchi, and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the Hindu Udayagiri site.[7]

The pillar was discovered by Alexander Cunningham in 1877. Two major

archaeological excavations in the 20th-century have revealed the pillar to be a part
of an ancient Vāsudeva temple site.[4][8][9] Aside from religious scriptures such as
the Bhagavad Gita, the epigraphical inscriptions on the Heliodorus pillar and
the Hathibada Ghosundi Inscriptions contain some of the earliest known writings
of Vāsudeva-Krishna devotion and early Vaishnavism and are considered the first
archeological evidence of its existence.[10][11][12][13][14][6] The pillar has been called one of
the earliest surviving records of a foreign convert into Vaishnavism.[15][6] An alternative
interpretation is that making dedications to foreign gods was only a logical practice
for the Greeks, intended to appropriate their local power and cannot be regarded as
a "conversion" to Hinduism.[16]

Location and surveys

Survey by Alexander Cunningham in 1874–1875

Initial reconstitution of the Heliodorus pillar by Cunningham in 1874–1875

The pillar was first discovered by Alexander Cunningham in 1877 near the ancient
city of Besnagar in neighbourhood of Vidisha in central India. Besnagar was founded
near the confluence of Betwa River and Halali River (formerly, Bais River and the
basis for "Bes"-nagar).[17] The fertile region was historically important because it was
on the trade route between the northern Gangetic valley, the Deccan and the South
Indian kingdoms of the subcontinent.[17] The Besnagar site is at the northeastern
periphery of the confluence, and close to Sanchi and Udayagiri, both ancient and of
significance to Buddhism and Hinduism.[7][18]

8
 The fan-palm pinnacle Cunningham assumed belonged to the
Heliodorus pillar.
When Cunningham first saw it, the pillar was thickly encrusted with ritually applied
red paste (vermillion). This encrusted pillar was the object of worship and ritual
animal sacrifice.[17] Next to the red-colored pillar was a high soil mound, and on top of
the mound a priest had built his home and surrounded it with a compound wall.
[17]
The locals at the time called the pillar the Khamba Baba or Kham Baba.[17][19]

Cunningham, an avid British archaeologist credited with many discoveries of ancient

sites on the subcontinent, saw no inscription due to the thick crust surrounding the
pillar. He nevertheless sensed its historical significance from the shape and the
visible features such as the crowning emblem, carved fan, rosettes, the faceted
symmetry merging into a round section.[17] He also guessed there may be an
inscription below the crust, and reported the pillar as, "the most curious and novel" of
all his discoveries.[17] Near the standing Besnagar pillar, Cunningham found the
remains of a fan-palm pinnacle, which he thought originally belonged to the pillar.
[20]
Assuming that this broken part was part of the standing pillar, he sketched a
composite version.[20] The fan-palm design is otherwise known to be associated to the
worship of Samkarsana-Balarama, another one of the Vrishni heroes.[21]

A short distance away, Cunningham found a second pillar capital on the ground with
an emblem in the form of a makara (mythical elephant-crocodile-fish composite).
[20]
He assumed, based on the shape of the bell, which he considered "of true
Ashokan proportions", that this broken part was part of a lost pillar of the Ashokan
period.[20][17] Further, about a kilometer away, Cunningham found a third pillar capital
of similar style, with an emblem in the form of a kalpadruma (wishing tree).
Cunningham assumed this discovery too was related to the Besnagar pillar in some
way.[22] The kalpa tree design is otherwise known to be associated to the goddess Sri
Lakshmi.[23]

Later research showed that the fan palm pinnacle could not fit, and the discovery of
the inscription on the pillar suggested that a Garuda emblem was crowning the
structure.[24]

Second survey in 1909–1910

9
 Heliodorus pillar c.1908–09
Between 1909 and early 1910, nearly 30 years after the pillar's discovery, a small
Indian and British archaeological team led by H H Lake revisited the site.[25] After the
thick red crust was cleaned out, they found Brahmi script inscriptions. John
Marshall reported the discovered inscriptions, and to everyone's surprise, the longer
inscription related to a Greek ambassador named Heliodorus of 2nd-century BCE
and the deity Vāsudeva. An additional smaller inscription on the pillar listed human
virtues, later identified to be from a verse of the Mahabharata.[22][26][27]

Heliodorus pillar, 1913–15 excavation.

The pillar and the unusual inscriptions attracted two larger archaeological
excavations. The first was completed between 1913 and 1915, under Bhandarkar,
but left incomplete because the priest blocked efforts citing rights to his home and
compound walls his ancestors had built over the mound.[22][28][29] The second

10
excavation was completed between 1963 and 1965, under Khare, who had
convinced the locals to move their religious practice to a location near a tree close by
and relocating the priest's family. The archaeologists for the second excavation had
full access to the Besnagar pillar site.[22][28][9]

Third survey in 1913–1915

A cross-section of the Heliodorus pillar sketched during the 1913 CE archaeological
excavation.
The 1913–15 excavations, though partial, revealed that the modern era Besnagar
site had experienced numerous floods that had deposited silt over the last 2,000
years.[29] The partial dig uncovered an extensive rectangular, square and other
substructure and many brick foundations aligned to the cardinal axes. More ruined
parts, plates and capitals were also found. The relative alignments suggested that
the Besnagar pillar was likely a part of a more extensive ancient site.[29][30][4]

Fourth survey in 1963–1965

The 1963–65 excavations revealed that the mound under the demolished later era
priest home, contained the brick foundation for a sanctum (garbhagriha) and pillared
halls (mandalas) of an elliptical temple. Further excavations below the foundation
revealed a different foundation of likely a more ancient temple. These ancient temple
foundation, layout and structures were similar to those discovered at Chittorgarh
(Rajasthan).[28][31] A more comprehensive excavation underneath the pillar and around
the pillar led to the discovery that the pillar itself was much deeper, had a metal-
stone interface, features Cunningham's early report had missed, and that secondary
foundations were added over time to match the new ground level after major floods.
Further, many more structures and items were discovered at the site.[28][9] The
archaeologists discovered that the Heliodorus pillar itself was one of eight pillars, all
aligned along the north-south axis. These discoveries confirmed that the Besnagar
Heliodorus pillar was a part of a more extensive ancient temple site.[28][9][31]

Pillar
The 1913 excavation revealed that a significant part of the Heliodorus pillar is below
the platform. It sits on top of the remains of a more ancient pillar probably damaged
by floods.[32] Over time, silt from various floods have deposited and a raised platform
was added at some point. The pillar shaft has a base support of two placement
stones held with a layer of stone-metal.[32][29] Above this was an untrimmed stone
portion of the pillar. Above the untrimmed section is a trimmed octagonal cross-
section. The original ground level was about 4.5 centimeter above the junction of the
untrimmed and trimmed section.[33] Above the length with octagonal facet is the
section of the pillar with sixteen facets. Above the sixteenths section is the thirty-two
faceted section, beyond which is the short round pillar section all the way to the top
where sat the crowning emblem (now missing).[34][28] The pillar is about 17.7 feet
above a square platform (12 feet side), and the platform itself is about 3 feet high
above the ground.[25] The currently visible portion of the pillar's octagonal section is
about 4 feet 10 inches high. The sixteenths section is fully visible and is 6 feet 2
inches high.[25] The thirty-twos is also fully visible and is about 11.5 inches high, while
the round section is 2 feet and 2 inches high. The bell capital is about 1 feet 6 inches
deep and 1 feet 8 inches wide. The abacus is a 1 feet 7 inch sided ornate square. [25]

11
 Structure and decorative elements of
the Heliodorus pillar. The pillar originally supported a statue of Garuda, now lost, or possibly
located in the Gujari Mahal Museum in Gwalior.[35]
The ornamental bands on the pillar are at the junctions of the octagon-sixteenths and
sixteenths-thirty-seconds sections.[34][28] The lower ornamental band consists of half-
rosettes, while the upper ornamental band is a festoon with birds (swag with flowers,
leaves and hanging vines). Early scholars mistook it as geese (or swan), but a closer
examination revealed that they are regular pigeon-like birds, not geese (nor swan). [36]
[28]
The upper festoon is about 6.5 inches long.[25] According to Donald Stadtner, the
capitals found at the Heliodorus pillar site are similar, yet different in ways from the
Sunga capitals found at Sanchi. The Sanchi discoveries lack the clockwise birds,
the makara and the band found in Besnagar. They have elephants and lions, which
are absent in Besnagar.[37] According to Julia Shaw, the elephants and lions motif is
typically found with Buddhist art of this period. The two styles have differences yet
informed the other, states Shaw.[38]

The Heliodorus pillar is neither tapered nor polished like the ancient Ashokan pillars
found in India.[29][39] It is also about half the diameter of Ashoka pillars.[40] The Brahmi
inscriptions are found on the octagonal surface just below the lower ornamental band
of half-rosettes.[41]

The 1963–65 excavations suggest that the site had an elliptical shrine – possibly 4th
to 3rd-century BCE – with a brick foundation and likely a wooden superstructure. [42][28]
[43]
This was destroyed by a flood around 200 BCE. New soil was then added and the
ground level raised to build a new second temple to Vāsudeva, with a wooden pillar
(Garuda dhvaja) in front of the east-facing elliptical shrine.[42][28] This too was
destroyed by floods sometime in the 2nd-century BCE.[42] In late 2nd-century BCE,
after some ground preparation, yet another Vāsudeva temple was rebuilt, this time
with eight stone pillars aligned in the north-south cardinal axis. Only one of these
eight pillars have survived: the Heliodorus pillar.[42][28]

Inscriptions

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See also: Early Indian epigraphy

Main inscription of the Heliodorus pillar, c. 110 BCE.

There are two inscriptions on the pillar. The inscriptions have been analysed by
several authors, such as E. J. Rapson,[44] Sukthankar,[27] Richard Salomon,[5] and
Shane Wallace.[4]

The text of the inscriptions is in the Brahmi script of the Sunga period, the language
is Central-western epigraphic Prakrit, with a few Sanskritized spellings.[5] The first
inscription describes the private religious dedication of Heliodorus (Translations:
Richard Salomon):[5]

Line 1. This Garuda-standard of Vāsudeva, the god of gods

Line 2. was constructed here by Heliodora (Heliodoros), the Bhagavata,
Line 3. son of Dion, a man of Takhkhasila (Taxila),
Line 4. the Greek ambassador who came from the Great King
Line 5. Amtalikita (Antialkidas) to King
Line 6. Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the Savior,
Line 7. prospering in (his) fourteenth regnal year.[45]
The second inscription on the pillar, in the same script, recites a verse from the
Hindu epic Mahabharata:[22][26]

Line 1. (These?) three steps to immortality, when correctly followed,

Line 2. lead to heaven: control, generosity, and attention.[45]
The identity of the King Bhagabhadra in the longer inscription is contested. Early
scholars proposed that he may have been the 5th ruler of the Sunga dynasty, as
described in some Puranic lists.[5] However, later excavations by German
archaeologists near Mathura (Sonkh) have shown that the Sunga dynasty may have
ended before the Heliodorus pillar was installed.[22] Therefore, it is probable that the
Bhagabhadra may have been a local ruler.[22] The virtues in the shorter inscription

13
has been variously translated by different scholars. John Irwin, for example,
translates it as "Restraint, Renunciation and Rectitude".[22]

Heliodorus pillar inscriptions

Translation Transliteration Inscription

(English) (original Brahmi script) (Prakrit in the Brahmi script)[4]

This Garuda- 𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀲 𑀯𑀸(𑀲𑀼𑀤𑁂)𑀯𑀲

standard 𑀕𑀭𑀼𑀟𑀥𑁆𑀯𑀚𑁄 𑀅𑀬𑀁
of Vāsudeva, the God Devadevasa Vā[sude]vasa
Garuḍadhvaje ayaṃ
of Gods
was erected here by 𑀓𑀭𑀺𑀢𑁄 𑀇(𑀅)
the 𑀳𑁂𑀮𑀺𑀉𑁄𑀤𑁄𑀭𑁂𑀡 𑀪𑀸𑀕
devotee Heliodoros, karito i[a] Heliodoreṇa bhāga-
the son of Dion, a 𑀯𑀢𑁂𑀦 𑀤𑀺𑀬𑀲 𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑁂𑀡
man of Taxila, 𑀢𑀔𑁆𑀔𑀲𑀺𑀮𑀸𑀓𑁂𑀦
sent by the vatena Diyasa putreṇa
Great Yona King Anti Takhkhasilākena
alkidas, as 𑀬𑁄𑀦𑀤𑀢𑁂𑀦 𑀅𑀕𑀢𑁂𑀦
ambassador 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀭𑀸𑀚𑀲
to King Yonadatena agatena
mahārājasa
Kasiputra Bhagabhad
ra, 𑀅𑀁𑀢𑀮𑀺𑀓𑀺𑀢𑀲 𑀉𑀧𑀁𑀢𑀸
the Savior son of the 𑀲𑀁𑀓𑀸𑀲𑀁𑀭𑀜𑁄
princess Aṃtalikitasa upa[ṃ]tā
samkāsam-raño
from Varanasi,
in the fourteenth year 𑀓𑀸𑀲𑀻𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀲
of his reign. 𑀪𑀸𑀕𑀪𑀤𑁆𑀭𑀲 𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀸𑀢𑀸𑀭𑀲
Kāsīput[r]asa Heliodorus pillar rubbing
[46] [Bh]āgabhadrasa trātārasa (inverted colors). The text is in
𑀯𑀲𑁂𑀦 (𑀘𑀢𑀼)𑀤𑀲𑁂𑀁𑀦 the Brahmi script of the Sunga
Three immortal 𑀭𑀸𑀚𑁂𑀦 𑀯𑀥𑀫𑀸𑀦𑀲 period.[5] For a recent
precepts (footsteps)... vasena [chatu]daseṃna photograph.
when practiced rājena vadhamānasa
lead to heaven: self-
restraint, charity,
consciousness
𑀢𑁆𑀭𑀺𑀦𑀺
𑀅𑀫𑀼𑀢𑁋𑀧𑀸𑀤𑀸𑀦𑀺 (𑀇𑀫𑁂)
(𑀲𑀼)𑀅𑀦𑀼𑀣𑀺𑀢𑀸𑀦𑀺
Trini amuta𑁋pādāni (i me)
(su)anuthitāni
𑀦𑁂𑀬𑀁𑀢𑀺 𑀲𑁆𑀯(𑀕𑀁) 𑀤𑀫
𑀘𑀸𑀕 𑀅𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀫𑀸𑀤
neyamti sva(gam) dama cāga
apramāda

— Adapted from

14
 transliterations by E. J.
Rapson,[44] Sukthankar,[27]
Richard Salomon,[5] and
Shane Wallace.[4]

Garuda capital

Relief depicting a portable Garuda pillar, one of the

oldest images of Garuda, Bharhut, 100 BCE. This may have been similar to the Garuda
capital of the Heliodorus pillar.[47][48][49]
The Garuda capital of the Heliodorus pillar has not been found in the surveys, but it
has been suggested that it had already been excavated by Cunningham, who was
unaware of the Garuda attribution of the pillar, and that the remains of this Garuda
capital were transferred to the Gwalior Museum together with the other artefacts
initially discovered at the site.[50] In particular, a statue fragment in the Gwalior
Museum, composed of bird's feet holding a Naga, with the tail end resting on a
portion of a vedika, may correspond to the lost Garuda capital of the Heliodorus
pillar.[51][50][52]

According to Susan L. Huntington, the Garuda capital on the Heliodorus pillar was
probably similar to a portable Garuda standard illustrated on one of the nearly
contemporary reliefs at Bharhut.[47] In Bharhut, a man riding a horse is seen holding a
portable pillar-standard, crowned by a bird-man creature similar to a Kinnara.[47] The
same concept of Garuda pillar may have been adopted for the Heliodorus pillar.
[47]
Further, the Bharhut relief was dedicated by an individual from Vidisha, the town
where the Heliodorus pillar is located, as explained in the attached dedicatory
inscription, which suggests that the Garuda capital in the Bharhut relief may just be
an imitation of the one on the Heliodorus pillar.[47] The inscription in Brahmi script next
to the relief of the Garuda pillar at Bharhut reads:[47][53]

15
𑀯𑁂𑀤𑀺𑀲𑀸 𑀘𑀸𑀧𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀸𑀬𑀸 𑀭𑁂𑀯𑀢𑀺𑀫𑀺𑀢𑀪𑀸𑀭𑀺𑀬𑀸𑀬 𑀧𑀣𑀫𑀣𑀪𑁄 𑀤𑀸𑀦𑀁
Vedisā Chāpadevāyā Revatimitabhāriyāya pathamathabho dānam

"The first pillar (is) the gift of Chāpadevāyā, the wife of Revatimita, from Vedisa"

— Bharhut inscription A34, on the corner pillar of the railing of the Southeastern
quadrant[53]

Association with other Vrishni heroes

Main article: Vrishni heroes

Images of the deities were probably present in

shrines adjoining the pillars, in a style rather similar with their depiction on the coinage
of Agathocles of Bactria (190–180 BCE). Here Saṃkarṣaṇa and Vāsudeva are shown with
their attributes.[54]
Other sculptures and pillar capitals were found near the Heliodorus pillar, and it is
thought they were dedicated to Vāsudeva's kinsmen, otherwise known as the Vrishni
heroes and objects of the Bhagavata worship.[55] These are a tala (fan-palm capital),
a makara (crocodile) capital, a banyan-tree capital, and a possible statue of the
goddess Lakshmi, also associated with the Bhagavat worship.[56] Just as Garuda is
associated with Vāsudesa, the fan-palm capital is generally associated
with Saṃkarṣaṇa, and the makara is associated with Pradyumna.[57][58] The banyan-
tree capital with ashtanidhis is associated with Lakshmi.[56]

The presence of these pillar capitals, found near the Heliodorus pillar, suggests that
the Bhagavata worship, although centered around the figures of Vāsudeva and
Saṃkarṣaṇa, may also have involved the worship of other Vrishni deities, such
as Pradyumna, son of Vāsudeva.[58] For example, there may have been a Pradyumna
temple at Besnagar, or at least the Pradyumna pillar with its Makara emblem may
have been incorporated into the Vāsudeva shrine.[58] In effect, the findings
surrounding the Heliodorus pillar suggest the worship of a trio of the Vrishni
heroes in this time and area, composed of the three deities
Vāsudesa, Saṃkarṣaṇa and Pradyumna.[59]

Excavations suggests that these various pillars with their symbolic capitals were
standing in line at the site, and that the Heliodorus pillar was just one of them,
standing at the northern end of the line.[60][61] Although the pillars are aniconic, it is
probable that now lost sculptures representing the deities, broadly similar to the
depictions on Vāsudeva and Samkarshana on the coins of Agathocles of

16
Bactria (190–180 BCE), were located in adjoining shrines.[54] An inscription on an
octagonal pillar found in nearby Besnagar does mention a "Garudadvaja" installed in
a Temple of Vasudeva (Vasudeva prasadauttama) by a Gautamiputra Bhagavata,
suggesting that there may have been two Garuda pillars, just as there were two fan-
palm pillars, in front the Vāsudeva Temple.[60]

[58]

The Makara capital, found at the site of the Heliodorus pillar, is associated
[55][62][57][58] [63]
with Pradyumna. 2nd century BCE. Gwalior Museum/ pillar capital shaped as
[55]
a Kalpadruma tree, also found nearby at Besnagar, probably associated with Lakshmi.
[57]
Indian Museum, Kolkata/ Possible statue of the goddess Lakshmi, also associated
with the Bhagavat worship/ The fan-palm capital, found next to the Heliodorus pillar, is
associated with Saṃkarṣaṇa.

Association with Garuda

The sun bird Garuda is the traditional vehicle of Vāsudeva.[65] In
the Mahabharata (probably compiled between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd
century CE),[66] Garuda appears as the vehicle of Vishnu.[67]

However, the understanding of Vāsudeva as an emanation of Vishnu probably

appeared much later, as there is nothing to suggest it in the early evidence: the
worship of Vāsudeva between the 4th century BCE and the 2nd century BCE was a
warrior-hero worship, after which the progressive amalgamation with Vishnu and
Narayana would follow, developing during the Kushan period and culminating during
the Gupta period.[68]

Slightly later, the Nagari inscription also shows the association of the Hindu
deity Narayana with Bhagavatism.[56] Vishnu would much later become prominent in
this construct, so that by the middle of the 5th century CE, during the Gupta period,
the term Vaishnava would replace the term Bhagavata to describe the followers of
this worship, and Vishnu would now be more popular than Vāsudeva.[56]

17
Temple
In 1910, an archaeological team led by H H Lake revisited the Heliodorus pillar site
and nearby mounds. They found the Brahmi inscriptions on the pillar, and noticed
several mistakes in the early Cunningham report.[25] They also found many other
broken wall pieces, pillar sections and broken statues in different mounds along the
river, within a kilometer from the pillar. Lake speculated these to be variously related
to Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.[69] Near the Heliodorus pillar site, his team
discovered Sapta-Matrikas (seven mothers of the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism),
dating to the 5th–6th century CE.[70][71][72] These discoveries suggest that Besnagar was
probably an important ancient temples and pilgrimage site.[73][74]

Temple of Vāsudeva

Initial excavations/Elliptic plan of the Temple

Excavation of the huge Temple of Vāsudeva next to the Heliodorus pillar. [75] The Temple
measured 30x30 meters, and the walls were 2.4 meters thick. Pottery remains assigns the site to
the 2nd century BCE.[76] Further excavations also revealed the outline of a smaller elliptic temple
structure, which was probably destroyed by the end of the 3rd century BCE.[77] The platform and
the base of the Heliodorus pillar are visible in the immediate background.

The 1963–65 excavations revealed that the Heliodorus pillar was a part of an ancient
temple site. The archaeologists found an ancient elliptical foundation, extensive floor
and plinth produced from burnt bricks. Further, the foundations for all the major
components of a Hindu temple
– garbhagriha (sanctum), pradakshinapatha (circumambulation
passage), antarala (antechamber next to sanctum) and mandapa (gathering hall) –
were found.[78] These sections had a thick support base for their walls. These core
temple remains cover an area of 30 x 30 m with 2.40 m.[79] The sections had post-
holes, which likely contained the wooden pillars for the temple superstructure above.
In the soil were iron nails that likely held together the wooden pillars.[78] According to
Khare, the superstructure of the temple was likely made of wood, mud and other
perishable materials.[78]

The sub-surface structure discovered was nearly identical to the ancient temple
complex discovered in Nagari (Chittorgarh, Rajasthan) – about 500 kilometers to the
west of Vidisha, and the Nagari temple too has been dated to the second half of the
1st-millennium BCE. The archaeological discoveries about Vāsudeva Krishna at the
Mathura site – about 500 kilometers to the north, states Khare, confirm that
Garuda, Makara found at this site, palm-leaf motifs were related to
early Vaishnavism. The Heliodorus pillar was a part of an ancient Vaishnava temple.
[80]
According to Susan Mishra and Himanshu Ray, the Heliodorus pillar Besnagar site

18
(2nd century BCE) and the Nagari site (1st century BCE) are perhaps the "earliest
Hindu temples" that archaeologists have discovered.[81]

Archaeological characteristics and

significance
The Heliodorus pillar, being dated rather precisely to the period of the reign of
Antialkidas (approximately 115–80 BCE), is an essential marker of the evolution of
Indian art during the Sunga period. It is, following the Pillars of Ashoka, the next pillar
to be associated clearly with a datable inscription.[40] The motifs on the pillar are key
in dating some of the architectural elements of the nearby Buddhist complex
of Sanchi. For example, the reliefs of Stupa No.2 in Sanchi are dated to the last
quarter of the 2nd century BCE due to their similarity with architectural motifs on the
Heliodorus pillar as well as similarities of the paleography of the inscriptions.[40] A
remaining fragment of the Garuda capital is located at the Gujari Mahal
Museum in Gwalior.[35]

Nature and evolution of Vāsudeva

The deity to whom the Heliodorus pillar was dedicated: Vāsudeva, as depicted on a coin
of Agathocles of Bactria, 190–180 BCE.[82][83]
Vāsudeva refers to "Krishna, son of Vasudeva", "Vāsudeva" in the lengthened form
being a vṛddhi-derivative of the short form Vasudeva, a type of formation very
common in Sanskrit signifying "of, belonging to, descended from".[84] The worship of
Vāsudeva may have evolved from the worship of a historical figure belonging to
the Vrishni clan in the region of Mathura.[85] He is also known as a member of the five
"Vrishni heroes".[85] According to Upinder Singh "Vāsudeva-Krishna was the Indian
God bearing the closest resemblance to the Greek God Herakles".[85] He was also
depicted on the coinage of Agathocles of Bactria c. 190-180 BCE, which shows that
he was already widely considered as a deity by that time, and probably as early as
the 4th century according to literary evidence.[85] In the Heliodorus pillar, Vāsudeva-
Krishna was worshipped as the "God of Gods", the Supreme Deity.[86] At one point
Vāsudeva-Krishna came to be associated to the God Narayana-Vishnu.
[87]
Epigraphically, this association is confirmed by the Hathibada Ghosundi

19
Inscriptions of the 1st century BCE.[88] It is thought that "by the beginning of the
Christian era, the worship of Vasudeva, Vishnu and Narayana amalgamated".[citation
needed]
As a third step, Vāsudeva-Krishna was incorporated into the Chatur-
vyūha concept of successive emanations of the God Vishnu.[87] By the 2nd century
CE, the "avatara concept was in its infancy", and the depiction of Vishnu with his four
emanations (the Chatur-vyūha) starts to become visible in art at the end of
the Kushan period.[89]

Based on Helliodorus pillar evidence it has been suggested that Heliodorus is one of
the earliest Westerners on record to convert to Vaishnavism whose evidence has
survived.[90] But some scholars, most notably A. L. Basham[91] and Thomas Hopkins,
are of the opinion that Heliodorus was not the earliest Greek to convert
to Bhagavata Krishnaism. Hopkins, chairman of the department of religious studies
at Franklin and Marshall College, has said, "Heliodorus was presumably not the
earliest Greek who was converted to Vaishnava devotional practices although he
might have been the one to erect a column that is still extant. Certainly there were
numerous others including the king who sent him as an ambassador."[92] Professor
Kunja Govinda Goswami of Calcutta University concludes that Heliodorus "was well
acquainted with the texts dealing with the Bhagavata religion."[14]

According to Indologist Edwin F. Bryant, Heliodorus converted to the Krishna religion

during this period. This is evident from the column dedicated to Garuda, Vishnu's
eagle carrier, which features an inscription where Heliodorus identifies himself as a
devotee of Vasudeva Krishna. The fact that a prominent foreign envoy embraced the
Krishna tradition in the first century BCE suggests that the tradition had established
firm roots by then. Moreover, there are several other inscriptions prior to the
Common Era, created by Indian sponsors of the Vasudeva Krishna tradition.[6]

Alternatively, the dedication made by Heliodorus to Vāsudeva as supreme deity may

simply have been a diplomatic gesture.[93][94] This may also have been an instance of a
typically Greek religious practice: according to Harry Falk, it was a logical and normal
practice for Greeks to make dedications to foreign gods, as they were just interested
in appropriating their power, and this natural Greek behaviour cannot be construed
as a "conversion to Hinduism".[95]

Alternative interpretation
According to Allan Dahlquist, an alternative interpretation of the inscription is
possible. Shakyamuni Buddha too was called a Bhagavan, and Heliodorus
originated from Taxila where Buddhism was strong.[96] At the time of Dahlquist's 1962
publication, he stated there was no proof that a sect of Vishnu-Krishna devotees
existed at that time in Taxila.[96] Lastly, according to Dahlquist, there is no definite
evidence that Vāsudeva should necessarily refer to Vishnu-Krishna.[96] As god-of-the-
god, Vāsudeva can well be associated with Indra, who had a key role in Buddhism,
stated Dahlquist.[96]

Later scholars have questioned Dahlquist's analysis and assumptions.[97] Kuiper

criticizes him for interpreting the dubious source of Megasthenes, ignoring all the
"indications to the contrary", and dispute Dahlquist's treatment of the evidence. [98] The
Greek texts that describe ancient India, have numerous references that suggest the

20
existence of Vishnu-Krishna before the time of Heliodorus. For example, there is little
doubt that Methora in ancient Greek texts is same
as Mathura, Sourasenoi as Shurasenas, Herakles of India is Hari-
Krishna, Kleisobora is Krishna-pura.[99][100] Similarly, early Buddhist sources provide
evidence of Krishna worship, such as the Niddesa which somewhat derogatorily
mentions both Vāsudeva and Baladeva[note 1] The Jataka tales too include a story
about Krishna.[99] Heliodorus converted to the Krishna religion when he was serving
as an envoy. The Heliodorus pillar's inscription is generally dated to the late 2nd
century BCE or about 100 BCE, is attributed to Heliodorus, as recording his devotion
to the Vaishnava Vāsudeva sect.[99][102]

Related evidence
During the Besnagar site excavations by archaeologists Lake and Bhandarkar, a
number of additional inscriptions were found such as one in Vidisha. These also
mention Vaishnava-related terms. In one of those inscriptions, is the mention of
another Bhagavata installing a pillar of Garuda (vahana of Vishnu) at the "best
temple of Bhagavat" after the king had ruled for twelve years.[29]

A pillar from nearby Buddhist Sanchi, Pillar 25, is thought to be contemporary with
the Heliodorus pillar, and is also dated to the 2nd century BCE.[103]

Location of the Heliodorus pillar in relation to Besnagar, Vidisha, Sanchi and

the Udayagiri Caves.

Heliodorus was the ambassador of king Antialcidas (here depicted on one of his coins).

The contemporary pillar in nearby Sanchi.

21