Sometimes, the most beautiful art is paid for by the most brutal of conquerors. This is the story of how ancient India's most remarkably globalised art was born. In this episode, the tale of Gandhara continues to unfold as the Indo-Greeks are uprooted by Central Asian nomads fleeing from a terrible foe. But their art stays behind, and meets a mighty new force: Buddhism, rapidly entering its heyday in the North-West of India as the great economic webs of the Silk Roads are born.

In the second episode of Echoes of India, host Anirudh Kanisetti continues the complex saga of ancient Indian history - hear the drums of weed-smoking conquerors, the boasts of multi-ethnic princes, and a Jain fable, as Buddhism spreads from India into Pakistan and Afghanistan.

If you have questions for Anirudh, follow him on Twitter @AKanisetti or on Instagram @aniruddhadevaraya Notes, sources, credits and a transcript of the episode can be found at https://www.anirudhkanisetti.com/home/episode-2

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most histories of post-Vedic India start with Alexander the Great and then start with the story of North India under the Mauryas. But this story stays with Alexander's army.

This episode explores the North-West of the Indian subcontinent, where South Asia meets Central Asia and West Asia - the region of Gandhara, the melting pot of the ancient world, where Indo-Greeks worshipped Greco-Indian gods.

In the inaugural episode of Echoes of India, host Anirudh Kanisetti introduces us to Ancient India with a twist - hear the battles of Alexander, the debates of Buddhist monks, and a Sanskrit drama as we explore the genesis of Indian pluralism in the early centuries BCE.

If you have questions for Anirudh, follow him on Twitter @AKanisetti or on Instagram @aniruddhadevaraya Notes, sources, credits and a transcript of the episode can be found at https://www.anirudhkanisetti.com/home/episode-1

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Echoes is a history podcast like no other. It's by Indians, about Indians, for Indians: A 700-year journey from the invasion of Alexander to the Gupta Empire, from the sublime Greek art of Gandhara to the pearl-white Buddhist stupas of Andhra to the thriving port cities of the Tamil land. Along the way, monks debate, queens boast, and armies roar. In Echoes, the past comes back to life - noisy, breathing, as thriving as the Indian subcontinent is today.

Each week, host Anirudh Kanisetti takes you through a new aspect of the wonder that was ancient India. From politics to philosophy, culture to religion, hear the history of this land unfold every Monday, starting 19th November.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.