The Indo-Greek Kingdom, also known as the Yavana Kingdom, covered the Northwestern part of the Indian Subcontinent, which included some parts of Afghanistan, the present-day Pakistan region, and some parts of Iran. It began from 180 BCE onwards when Bactrian king Demetrius invaded India. 

After the decline of Mauryan rule in North India, several small dynasties emerged. The indigenous dynasties that came up included Shungas, Kanvas, and Satavahanas. The non-indigenous dynasties in India include Indo-Greek, Shaka, Parthians, and the Kushanas. Meanwhile, the Northwest part of India was constantly attacked by Central Asian powers.

Historical Background of Indo-Greek Rule

The Indo-Greek Kingdom, also known as the Yavanas, ruled over the North Western part of the Indian Subcontinent. It included parts of Afghanistan, parts of Pakistan, and Northwestern India. They were called ‘Indo-Greeks‘ because they remained almost always separated from the Bactria. They were politically different from the Greco-Bacterian rule.

Initial Presence of Greek in India

• The Greeks settled in North Western India during the Achaemenian Empire of Persia. 
• Alexander was a Greek ruler who defeated Persian rule. He won over the North Western part of the Indian Subcontinent till the Hyphasis river in 326 BCE. 
• Alexander returned after establishing several Satrapies. He kept the Satrapies of Punjab to rule under Porus and Ambhi. The remaining Satrapies were left under the rule of Eudemus, his General.
• In 305 BCE, Selucus Nikator, a Greek General, brought his army to the Indus river. He confronted Chandragupta Maurya. 
• This ended in a peace treaty in which Selucus gave up his Northwestern territories of Hindukush, parts of Afghanistan, and Baluchistan to Chandragupta and received 500 elephants in return. 
• A marriage agreement was also concluded between the two Empires. Some Puranic sources describe that Chandragupta married the daughter of the Greek ruler Selucus Nikator.
• Also, several Greek ambassadors were sent to reside in the court of Chandragupta Maurya. These include Megasthenes, Deimacus, and Dionysius.
• During the Mauryan rule, the Greek population lived in the northwestern parts of the Indian Subcontinent. This can be known from some of the edicts of Ashoka.
• In his edicts, Ashoka mentions that he had sent Buddhist emissaries from the Mediterranean region to the Greek rulers.
• The Greeks that lived in the Indian Subcontinent played an important part in spreading Buddhism. 
• Some of the religious emissaries sent by Ashoka were described as great Buddhist monks in Pali sources.
• Greeks also contributed to architectural development and played an administrative role under Ashokan rule.
•  For example, the Junagadh or Girnar rock inscription of Rudradaman mentions that Tushaspha was a Greek governor in charge of the Junagad region of Gujarat under Ashokan rule.
• In 206 BCE, another Greek ruler, Antiochus, brought his army to the Kabul region. The local king offered him presents and war elephants as gifts.