Cultural assimilation of invaders
Topic: Post-Mauryan India: Shungas to Kushanas · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 6 "The Age of Reorganisation"
Meaning
Cultural assimilation of invaders means that foreign rulers who came as conquerors slowly adopted Indian ways of life. In the post-Mauryan period, the Indo-Greeks, Shakas and Kushanas took up Indian gods, languages, names and titles. Art grew from a mix of styles, but Indian themes stayed dominant. This shows that the age was one of exchange, not just invasion.
Example
The Heliodorus pillar near Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh was set up by an Indo-Greek ambassador. On it he praises Vasudeva (Krishna) as "god of gods". Some Indo-Greek coins show Vasudeva-Krishna and Lakshmi. Kanishka's coins show the Buddha and Shiva. The Shaka ruler Rudradaman left his Girnar inscription in Sanskrit.
Don't confuse with
- Gandhara school of art: this is a style of sculpture that mixed Greek and Roman features with Indian subjects. It is one result of the assimilation, not the whole process.
- Hellenisation: this means local people adopting Greek culture. In India the main movement went the other way, with foreign rulers becoming Indianised.