India and Greece both have rich, ancient civilisations. Please read these FAQs before contributing. Later, some Indo-Greek coins incorporate the Buddhist symbol of the eight-spoked wheel, such as those of Menander I, as well as his possible grandson Menander II. Hindu gods; Devi; Japanese deities; Comparison. If you read us, like us and want this positive movement to grow, then do consider supporting us via the following buttons. Also, theres a famous story according to which Hermes invented a string instrument called Lyre to quench Apollos anger. The Heliodorus pillar inscription is another epigraphical evidence of the interaction between Greeks and Hinduism. Although not the exact meaning but both the words seem somewhat related. During the reign of Menander, the Greek (Pali: Yona, lit: "Ionian") Buddhist monk Mahadhammarakkhita (Sanskrit: Mahadharmaraksita, lit. The terms and epithets for deity within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Bhagavan and Bhagavathi. Hasn't this been a beautiful journey? Also parts of his dress, with rows of geometrical folds, are characteristically Hellenistic in style. Though, Hermes is attributed with many departments to control, but he is commonly known as the God of messengers, travels, mischiefs and thieves3. When she was about to dip Bhisma, Shantanu stopped her from doing so. Learn how your comment data is processed. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Hindu folklore is found in Hindu texts like Mahabharata and Ramayana. 22 http://www.mythindex.com/greek-mythology/A/Achilles.html N.G. Kailasha and Olympus are both real mountains that exist today; both are also deeply significant in their respective mythologies. 23 http://creative.sulekha.com/birth-of-bhishma-story-from-mahabharata_67978_blog 5 Dos for a Better Fertility and Healthy Pregnancy, Phlebotomy: The Art and Science behind Blood Draws, Best Golf Practice Equipment From FORB Golf seems nice, Top 8 Grip Strength Exercises for Beginners, 5 Reasons Why People Are Working Out at Home, 4 Benefits of Using a Kettlebell During Your Workouts, How to Incorporate Mirrored Wardrobe Designs in Your Home Dcor, Beach Trip Essentials: What to Pack for the Beach, 5 warning signs your home needs a makeover, 7 Interesting Facts About the Pinyon Pine Tree in New Mexico. And, its not only because different culture have branched from a single stem, but also because there has always been interactions between different civilizations through trade and wars. Poseidon is the name of the Greek god of the ocean, and in both cultures, they protect sea life. Well, the Greek Gods have Zeus, who could attach a chain to the whole world and then haul it up into the clouds even if all the other Greek gods were pulling on the other end. Both posses the same kind of weapon i.e., Thunderbolt (or Vajra in the Sanskrit language). Greek too have similar gods for every kind. In Hindu Mythology, They generally represent great and common decency. "Great protector of the Dharma") is said to have come from Alasandra (thought to be Alexandria of the Caucasus, the city founded by Alexander the Great, near today's Kabul) with 30,000 monks for the foundation ceremony of the Maha Thupa ("Great stupa") built by king Dutthagamani at Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka around 130 BCE, indicating the importance of Buddhism within Greek communities in northwestern India, and the prominent role Greek Buddhist monks played in them: "From Alasanda the city of the Yonas came the elder Yona Mahadhammarakkhita with thirty thousand bhikkhus.". Also, after the reign of Menander I, several Indo-Greek rulers, such as Agathokleia, Amyntas, Nicias, Peukolaos, Hermaeus, Hippostratos, Menander II and Philoxenus depicted themselves or their Greek deities forming with the right hand a benediction gesture[11] identical to the Buddhist vitarka mudra (thumb and index joined together, with other fingers extended), which in Buddhism signifies the transmission of the Buddha's teaching. Both lords of death,they preside over the netherworld. Similarly, Indra is also known for his virility and has been unfaithful to his wife Indrani on several occasions32. Just like Hindus have each god for wealth, power, knowledge, wisdom, etc. According to this perspective, the actual depiction of the Buddha would be a later phenomenon, usually dated to the 1st century CE, emerging from the sponsorship of the Indo-Scythians, Indo-Parthians and Kushans and executed by Greek, and, later, Indian and possibly Roman artists. also 1500 B.C. While this probably wont seem like something to be thankful for, Shiva isnt worried about obliterating the world, yet with annihilating oneself (assisting the Hindu individuals with eliminating themselves from their cravings) and with obliterating evil presences. Hindu Gods seem to occupy some specific world that isnt the Earth,Just God Shiv lives in the Himalayas with his Goddess Shakti. Next in our comparison are the two Gods who are so much alike that many believe that they can even be the same person, I mean same God. 10 strange similarity between Hindu and Greeks religious understanding. Some coins of Agathocles in the Indian standard also show a six-arched stupa and a tree in a railing, typical symbol of the Bodhi tree in early Buddhism. Such as Mount Olympus in Greek context and Mount Meru in Hindu context. Two cultures - so different from each other but coming up with a strikingly similar smorgasbord of legends and charactersare they trying to tell us the same story? June 15, 2015. As king, he leads cattle raids against the dasas, or dasyus, native inhabitants of the lands over which his people range. BothIndra and Zeus are the kings of the gods. The association of the Indo-Greeks with the Bhagavata movement is documented in the inscription of the Heliodorus pillar, made during the reign of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas (r.c. Popular Greek legends incorporate the mythical beings Hercules, Theseus, and Achilles. The inscriptions were found on a vase inside a stupa, dated to the reign of Menander or one of his successors in the 1st century BCE (Tarn, p391): "The meridarch Theodorus has enshrined relics of Lord Shakyamuni, for the welfare of the mass of the people". Peleus left Thetis after knowing her doings. From their character traits to their weapons, the similarities are too many to ignore. Ancient Egyptian deities; Mesopotamian deities; Ancient Greek deities; Ancient Meitei deities; Ancient Roman deities; Norse deities; Hindu deities. There are definitely connections between Indian culture and European culture. in hindi its called Jal, Neer or Pani. Varuna is the name of the Hindu god of the oceans. In similar fashion, Kronos becomes aware of a prophecy that he will be overthrown by one of his children. In the Greek myth of the Titanomachy, the Olympian gods defeat the Titans, an older and more primitive divine race, to establish cosmic order. Mythology says her milk formed a smear across the sky that can be seen to this day and known as The Milky Way. The Sage reviled Indra that his body would be covered. Many people suffer with back pain that stems from a wide variety of causes. Similarly in Greek context, the weapon of Zeus is made by Hephaestus. The main Hindu gods are the Trimurti, which consists of three Devas who Cooperate in general for the universe. I think it is safe to say that even though Hinduism has many deities, however, they devote themselves to one god. Next interesting thing is that Hades is also called as Pluto20, especially by the Romans, which is also the name of a planet. Good souls are sent to Elysium and Swarg in Greek and Indian mythology respectively, while the bad ones are sent to Tartarus and Naraka respectively. The Hindu gods, though, have ancient spaceships and magical nuclear weapons. It was this nature of birth that Athena became the goddess of wisdom and intelligence. Most people would say that it is contradictory. Immediately, I thought with that the name might be related to Zeus, but then It really came together when I read that that Indian god was sometimes called Dyaus Pitar which means Sky Father which sounded very similar to Jupiter. Athena is often seen with her companion owl, while Saraswati is seen with a swan (hansa) or a peacock. "Contrary to Iran, the Greco-Bactrian cults often employ representations of their deities". Uplifting stories, positive impact, and updates delivered straight into your inbox. Greek mythology has a pantheon of 12 main gods, while Hinduism has a trinity of three principal deities. Both the ancient civilisations had trade, movements of people, traders. Such datation, as well as the general Hellenistic style and attitude of the Buddha on the Bimaran casket (Hellenistic treatment of the dress, contrapposto attitude) would make it a possible Indo-Greek work, used in dedications by Indo-Scythians right after the end of Indo-Greek rule in the area of Gandhara. He was also a seer. Aditi is the goddess of boundless sky and she is also considered the Universal mother, as all forms of life including Gods and Demons are said to be contained in her womb36 (which is drastically similar to Rhea). Zeus: Sky/climate, Hades: The hidden world, Poseidon: Sea, Aquatics, etc, Brahman- surprisingly creature. He often plays tricks on others either for his own entertainment or as part of a bigger plan which in the end help humanity. This could suggest that the Indo-Greek kings respected the Indian aniconic rule for Buddhist depictions, limiting themselves to Buddhist symbolism only (the dharma wheel, the seated lion). No bird or beast would go near it and just one solitary Kadamba tree grew on the riverbank. 14 http://www.koausa.org/Gods/God10.html However, then, I read something that talked a bit about ancient Indian gods and it talked about a sky god named Dyaus whose name meant sky. Kleisobora and Jobares may correspond to Krishna Pura and Yamuna respectively. The impact and effect of the Greek Gods on the Greek society were substantially broader, but on the other hand, For the situation of Hindu Gods, such effects and impact are restricted to one specific Vishnu. Hades is the master of Cerberus (three-headed dog18 who guards the entrance of Underworld, while the gates of Yamarajs abode Naraka are guarded by two insatiable dogs with four eyes and wide nostrils19. Greek gods are mainly based on human personality traits likes love, hate, honor and dignity, and myths related to them are shaped by these traits. It is said that Indras weapon is made by Tvastar later known by Vishwakarma in modern Hindu religion. Kronos, Greek god of many things, is also the god of destruction. The Lanka Yudh happened because a man abducted another man's wife. While in Indian mythology Yamaraj is the ruler of Naraka (a place comparable to the underworld) and the god of Death17. She left Shantanu as he had broken the vow. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. @grandtoaa: See, my friend I think you only know the basics of even the Greek and norse gods. At precisely the same time, right after the death of Menander, several Indo-Greek rulers also started to adopt on their coins the Pali title of "Dharmikasa", meaning "follower of the Dharma" (the title of the great Indian Buddhist king Ashoka was Dharmaraja "King of the Dharma"). They also acted like people from time to time. "De l'Indus a l'Oxus: archaeologie de l'Asie Centrale", Pierfrancesco Callieri, p212: "The diffusion, from the second century BCE, of Hellenistic influences in the architecture of Swat is also attested by the archaeological searches at the sanctuary of Butkara I, which saw its stupa "monumentalized" at that exact time by basal elements and decorative alcoves derived from Hellenistic architecture". No big surprise he is so famous!if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'askanydifference_com-leader-3','ezslot_21',665,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-askanydifference_com-leader-3-0'); Ive put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. Artistic source Greek legends chronicled in the book The Iliad by Homer. [5] Different divine gods had their positions. A nice comparison. The capital has been found with a reliquary and a coin of, "The beginnings of Buddhist Art" Alfred Foucher, Plate I, Text and photographic reference: Terre Lontane > O2, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indo-Greek_religions&oldid=1142880372, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 21:06. Greek gods are anthropomorphic, whereas Hindu gods can have human and non-human forms. Thus, that portion of his heel was not washed by the waters of the magical river and remained vulnerable, proving to be the cause of his death by a poisonous arrow that lodged in his heel. Hindu mythology and Greek mythology is also very similar in a number of fascinating, mind-bending ways read on to know more. They accepted Hera was the goddess of marriage and birth. Indra is also god of rain, regent of the heavens, guardian of the east 31, ruler of cloud and skies32. Both are regarded as the king of gods and rains in their respective religion and both gods are related to similar actions. Thetis had six sons prior to Achilles, and while in her attempt to make them immortal she burned them in fire. He is founder of Zigverve. In a manner similar to Hermes, Narada was proficient in music and invented musical instrument called Vina. While our very own Karn is a skilled . Altogether, the conversion of Menander I to Buddhism suggested by the Milinda Panha seems to have triggered the use of Buddhist symbolism in one form or another on the coinage of close to half of the kings who succeeded him. Hindu Gods are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism and/or Hindu mythology. Traits. Hinduism has its three Supreme Gods - Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Protector and Shiva, the Destroyer. These first issues were in several respects a short-lived experiment. [17] An Indo-Chinese tradition also explains that Nagasena, also known as Menander's Buddhist teacher, created in 43 BCE in the city of Pataliputra a statue of the Buddha, which is believed to be the Emerald Buddha, that is currently housed in Thailand. Your email address will not be published. These "Greek-looking foreigners" are also described in Susan Huntington, "The art of ancient India", p. 100, "They (the niches) were intended to hold a figured panel, relief-work, or something of the kind" Domenico Facenna, "Butkara I", Also "The Buddhist art of Gandhara", Marshall, p101. On his sword appears the Buddhist symbol of the three jewels, or Triratana. [9] These coins show an unprecedented willingness to adapt to every aspect of the local culture: shape of the coinage, coinage size, language, and religion. Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism.The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavn and Bhagavati.. Well, this one is not really a comparison but a suggestion/theory that the legend of Heracles is actually a result of Balarama and Krishnas legend incorporated in Greek mythology. Kamadeva, like Eros, is also known to be carrying a bow made of Sugarcane and arrows of flowers. In Indian Mythology, in spite of all the other Gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar are considered to the three most important Gods. Another difference between the two pantheons is the way the gods are depicted.

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