Professor Karolos Mitsakis
University of Oxford (1962-1972)
Director of the Institute for Balkan Studies (1972 -
1980)
University of Athens (1978 - 1990)
The historical and cultural relations between Greece and India go
back to
classical Antiquity. The first Greek author, who possibly had
visited India
and spoke about the "Indian country"
(Ινδική
χώρη)
is Herodotus (490 -424
B.C.). Yet, the contacts between the Greeks and the Indians became
closer and more essential only at the Age of Alexander the Great
(356 -323
B.C). At about the same time (3rd century B.C.) appeared
the first
historical novel, the so called "Alexander romance" that enjoyed an
enormous popularity both in the East and West throughout the
centuries.
In this novel we are told about Alexander's entry to India and his
decisive
duel with the Indian king Porus; we are also told about Alexander's
meeting with the Indian people, particularly with the Indian wise
men
(γυμνο-σοφιστές),
the naked sophists.
During the Hellenistic Age the historical and cultural relations
between Greece and India are strengthened in many ways. In the VΙIth
century A.D. a famous Byzantine author, St. John of Damascus (650 —
750
A.D) wrote his own novel "Barlaam and Joasaph" which is considered a
Greek biography of Buddha.
It must be added here that a strong, indirect though, Indian
influence is manifested in the Byzantine romances of chivalry (XΙΙth
-XVth
century A.D.). The Indian influence in this last case came to
Byzantium through the intervention of Arabian versions. Quite
recently
(2006) a book was published under the title "Kalila and Dimna"
translated
directly from Sanskrit. I mention this latter only to emphasize the
strong
Indian influence on this kind of popular literature and for another
equally
important reason. Till today scholars research the possible western
prototypes of the Byzantine romances of chivalry and they seem to
ignore
the Indian sources.
Under this chapter one must add the case of Dimitrios Galanos
(1760 - 1833), who spent his life in India and composed a giant
"Sanskrit -English
- Greek Lexicon". This historical Lexicon was published only
recently (2001). Dimitrios Galanos has also translated into Greek
many still unpublished important and traditional Indian texts.
The cultural relations between Greece and India in the XXth cent,
are rather limited possibly because of the two world wars. The
exchanges
are rare but still they can be traced down.
Early XXth century a noted Greek poet, Lorenzo Mavilis (1860 -
1912),
and also the noted Greek prose - writer Kostas Chatzopoulos (1868 -1920)
translated from the Sanskrit fragments of the Indian epic romance
"Dalas and Dagamanti".
Somewhat later a well-known Greek poet and novelist Nikos
Kazantzakis (1883-1957) had a first hand knowledge of Indian
literature
and philosophy and was deeply influenced by them. A proof of the
above
statement represents his novel "Zorba the Greek" (1946) and mainly
his
play "Buddha" (1971).
In the last decade of the XXth century we have a series of
interesting books about India; travel accounts, anthologies and
essays.
Among several books I select here for your information what I
consider the best.
1.
Former Prime Minister Jannis Jannetakis, India. A different way
of
life
(1994) (In Greek)
2.
Former Ambassador in New Delhi Vassilis Vitsaxis, Indian Poetry.
Eighty contemporary poets in eleven Indian languages and in
English
(1995) (in Greek)
3.
B. Theos, Fundamental philosophies of India. The six systems
(together with shibaism of Kashmir)
(1995) (In Greek).
4.
Professor Udai Prakash Arora, Greeks on
India
(1996) (In English).
5.
Dr. Marianna
Benetatos, The Lotus Road: The Places where Buddha Lived, (2006) (in
Greek)
