The Greeks and Hindus are culturally very similar in nature. Hindu and Graeco-Roman mythology share a lot of similarities. Legends that have great significance in Greek mythology have parallels in Hindu cultutre. The two civilizations share many traits; both of them worshipped multiple gods, encouraged debate and argument as a form of learning, and nurtured a rich tradition of storytelling and art.

All cultures begin in the same way, worshipping nature. Nature is the source of life, it also provides and sustains life. That is how nature worship came into existence. Most civilizations are born around rivers where natural resources are in abundant supply. Gradually, the elements of nature; earth, wind, water, sun, sky were given human forms. That is how, the gods came into existence. You pray to the the god of rains for a bumper crop, the god of war to win battles and the goddess of wealth for prosperity in business.

The Greeks have a divine trinity comprising of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Together they rule the sky, the seas and the underworld respectively. Hindu mythology has a similar notion of three celestial gods; Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Although they are the Lords of Creation, Time and Destruction. The Greek gods reside on Mount Olympus while the Hindu gods reside on Mount Meru. Both mountains are said to be the tallest on earth and right at the centre of creation.

In Hindu mythology, there are around 36,000 gods. Indra is the king of gods, same as Zeus. Varun is the lord of the seas, similar to Poseidon of Greek mythology. Yama is the lord of the underworld, similar to Hades. Hades and Yama both are also the lords of justice. Interestingly, “Glory be to Lord Varun” is the motto of the Indian Navy and can also be found on their crest. Apart from these gods, both cultures had gods of war (Kartikeya and Ares), godesses of wisdom (Athena and Saraswati), godesses of beauty and prosperity (Lakshmi and Aphrodite). The Greeks have a god of love, Cupid who carries a bow and an arrow similar to Kaamdev who also carries a bow and an arrow.

In Greek mythology, the gates of hell are guarded by Hades’ three headed dog, Cerberus. In Hindu mythology, Yama’s dog, Sharvara guards the gates of hell. Even their names sound similar and might have a common etymology. Hermes is the Greek god of messengers, son of Zeus while Narad is the Hindu messenger god, son of Vishnu. Both of them are portrayed as witty and cunning, sometimes even resorting to thievery and slander. Mother earth is Gaia in Greek mythology and Gau in Indian Mythology. The chief architect and engineer of the Greeks is Hephaestus, his Indian counterpart is Vishvakarma. Both of them are credited with developing the weapons carried by the gods. Hindus have a celestial river, Vaitarni that separates the world of the living from the world of the dead. The river Styx is its Greek counterpart, the same Styx that made Acchiles invincible.

Indra, the Hindu god of the skies and rains wields a thunderbolt (Vajra). Zeus, the Greek god of the skies and rains wields a thunderbolt too. Both of them use their thunderbolts as weapons to defeat dragons. In the Indian context, Vritra, a serpent monster had blocked the celestial rivers and taken control of the waters. Indra slays this dragon to release the water and cause the rains. In the Greek context, the dragon is Typhon. In both the legends, the gods use their thunderbolts to strike the dragon down. This myth is also understood as the battle that takes place for the rains. The ‘cloud dragon’ has taken control of the waters and the thunderbolt strikes it down to release the waters and cause rain. In both cultures, the kings of gods are portrayed to be womanizers who have sired a lot of children with a lot of different women, sometimes going so far as to impersonate someone else.

The Hindus and the Greeks both have a lot of legends with brave and strong heroes. In the Greek context, the heroes are usually demi-gods, children of gods sired with mortals. In the Indian context, the heroes are usually mortal kings and princes who have the blessing of a god or are an incarnation of a god. Greek legends are rife with demi-gods like Hercules, Perseus, Acchiles, etc. who are all sons of gods. Hindu legends on the other hand have heroes like Arjun, Bheem, Krishna, Ram. While Arjun and Bheem were princes who had the blessings of Indra and Vayu (Wind God), Krishna and Ram were the incarnations of Vishnu.

The legend of Atlantis has an interesting parallel in Indian culture. Atlantis is said to be a legendary island off the coast of Greece. After a failed attempt to invade Athens, Atlantis sank into the ocean “in a single day and night of misfortune.” In Hindu Mythology, Dwarka, a city built by Vishwakarma on the order of Lord Krishna is supposed to have suffered a similar fate of submersion into the sea after a war among the Yadavas, the descendants of Lord Krishna.
The legend of Theseus also has an Indian parallel. In Greek mythology, to prevent Crete from waging war on Athens, a treaty was signed where every nine years, seven young men and seven young women from Athens would be sent to Crete, into the Labyrinth of Minos to be feasted upon by the Minotaur. Theseus volunteers as one of the sacrifices, navigates the Labyrinth successfully and slays the Minotaur. In Hindu mythology, at the outskirts of the city of Ekachakra lived the monster called Bakasura who threatened to destroy the city. As a compromise, the people agreed to send a cartload of provisions once a month to the demon. Bheem volunteered to go and kills Bakasura.

In the Greek legends, Hercules kills a 100 headed serpent, the Hydra. In Hindu legends, Lord Krishna kills a 100 headed serpent, Kaaliya. The legends are rife with stories of tragic heroes and romances that end in bloodshed. The hunter Orion and Eklavya, the Ramayan and the Iliad. In the Greek legends, Helen elopes with Paris which causes the Trojan War. In Hindu culture, Ravan kidnaps Sita to cause a great war with large armies crossing the ocean.

I am sure there are many more parallels between Greek and Hindu cultures. Perhaps both these cultures came from the same region. Greece being on the Mediterranean would have been influenced by Persian traders and settlers from Phoenicia (Lebanon). A lot of these traders had developed trade routes to the ports in western India. Moreover, Alexander of Macedonia (which is in Greece) had reached Kashmir on his campaign. Although the battle with King Puru ended in a stalemate, he left behind a governer in Bactria (Afghanistan), Seleucus Nicator to understand the Indian culture. The Bactrian kingdom (presently Afghanistan) was where he lived. The cultures might have mixed and a trade of ideas might have taken place.

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