India and the countries of the west :

• Since the days of the Harappan civilization, India has maintained trade relations with Western countries.
• Buddhism spread throughout Afghanistan and Central Asia.
• Trade relations with Iran increased India's contact with the Western world.
• Greek historians taught people in the west about India.
• The route that Alexander used to invade India was later opened up for trade.
• The Gandhara School of Art arose as a result of the Greek art of sculpture.
• Trade relations between India and Rome improved further in the first and second centuries AD. Evidence of trade relations has been discovered in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, and Arikamed, Tamil Nadu.
• Arabs were important traders during this time period, transporting Indian goods to the Egyptian port of Alexandria. They also brought Indian science and philosophy to Europe, as well as the concept of 'zero' in mathematics.

India and other countries in Asia :

India and the Asian countries :

• India had close relations with Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and China.
• The Indian missionaries took Buddhism to the countries of Asia.
• Indian philosophy, culture, ideas of religion also reached these countries.
• India had trade relations with Sri Lanka and China.
• India has left a deep imprint on the art and culture of Asia.

Sri Lanka :

• King Ashoka had sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism.
• India had trade relations with Sri Lanka. There was a great demand in India for Sri Lankan pearls and other precious stones.
• The Sri Lankan Buddhist works ‘Dipavamsa’ and ‘Mahavamsa’ provide information about the close relations between India and Sri Lanka.

China and other countries :

• Right from the ancient times, India and China had established trade and cultural relations.
• Merchants in ancient India supplied Chinese silk to western countries. The land route by which the silk trade was carried on, was called the ‘Silk Route’. Some ancient places in India were connected to this route.
• The bhikkhus translated many Indian Buddhist texts into the Chinese language. This gave impetus to the spread of Buddhism in China.

Countries in Southeast Asia :

• Many Indians travelled to Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia for trade or religious purposes.
• The Indians brought with them Indian philosophy, manners, religious ideas, and culture.
• In Cambodia, Kaundinya established the kingdom of Funan.
• In this region, many small Indian-ruled states arose.
• As a result, Indian culture influenced Southeast Asia.