Question

mention the most significant effect of Alexander's invasion?

Answer 1

Political Impact

Alexander’s invasion of India carried both a political lesson and a political result. The lesson was that divided into small kingdoms, republics and tribal units, the North-West India suffered badly from hands of the foreign invaders. Unity and not the disunity became the need of the time. The presence of small Macedonian garrisons in the Indus valley was like a reminder of India’s lack of political unity for some time at least.

Economic Impact

Alexander’s invasion opened up the land routes between the Greek world in the West and the Indian sub-continent. It is said that the Greek hero opened as many as five different lines of communication between India and the West during the course of his campaigns. Of those, four routes were on land, and one by sea. His voyages and campaigns enlarged the geographical horizon of both the western and eastern peoples. As a result, overland trade and maritime commerce began to develop between India and the West. After the destruction of the Persian Empire over which the Greeks began to rule, the lines of contact between India and the Western Asia and through that with Europe became more effective and direct.

Cultural Impact

India was rich in religion and philosophy at the time of the Greek invasion. The Greeks also were the pioneers of Western civilisation with a rich philosophy of their own. The historians, scholars and writers who came with Alexander closely observed the Indian philosophical systems and noted them in their descriptions. Alexander himself was curious to hear and know about some of the most difficult systems of Indian ascetics’ and philosophers. The description left by the Greek writers caused much curiosity in the advanced Greek minds of that time and of later periods. The Hindu and the Buddhist religious faiths and philosophies had an impact of the Greek world of philosophy following Alexander’s time.

Refer: https://www.importantindia.com/9185/impact-of-alexander-invasion-of-india/