Egypt and West Asia:

India's contact with Egypt is very ancient. It is the opinion of some historians that cloth wrapped around the Egyptian mummies was imported from India!, and their original home was Punt which could, perhaps, be identified with the pandyan country in the south. Even the names of Egyptian and Brahmanical gods are identical) Further, in early historical times, during Asoka's reign, Indian missionaries with the message of Dharma must have reached Alexandria, for Asoka in his Thirteenth Rock Edict clearly mentions Ptolemy Philadephos, the ruler of Egypt. It is quite likely that a few traders from India ha<;l establishments in a few cities of Egypt.

The discovery of several 'Indus-type' seals from many West-Asian sites, viz., Dr, Kish, Susa, Lagash, etc. and, a dockyard and a 'Persian Gulf seal' at Lothal in Gujarat, India, point to the contact, trade, cultural or otherwise of the Harappans with West Asia as early as in the third millennium B.C.3 Stronger impact of early Indian religion during the middle of the second millennium B.C. is evident from the fact that Indra, Varuna, Mitra, the twin Asvins-all of the Vedic pantheon-are mentioned in an inscription found at Boghaz-koi4 recording the treaty between the Hittites and the Mittani peoples. It is possible that there were some movement of the Aryan people from India to Asia Minor as there is the possibibility of people coming from Asia Minor to India.s The languages of the Avesta and the Vedas and the respective religions have some commonness between them. Could it be possible that the Parsis were the residents of India prior to their reaching Persia? Of course, for the present it is largely conjectural. By far the most substantial evidence of India's contact with the West is provided by an Asokan Rock Edict. The trade routes have been advantageously utilized in the third century B.C. by Asoka, who despatched several goodwill missions with the message of peace, love and service in various directions; five such missions were sent to the western countries, Syria, Macedon, Epirus, Cyrene and Egypt.