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.