The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c26.126

v1.c26.126

In what they say of the earlier history of India, the Greeks were concerned to fit in what their Indian informants told them with their own mythology and historical tradition. In their view of the past of India the two outstanding events were the invasions of the country by Dionysus and by Heracles respectively. Greek mythology told of the wine-god Dionysus as some one who had led about Asia a wandering army of revellers, garlanded with vine and ivy, to the accompaniment of drums and cymbals, and in India the religious processions in honour of Çiva, the royal progresses with drum and cymbals, especially characteristic of certain tribes³, seem to have struck them as Bacchic in character. Evidently Çiva was India's memory of the conquering god, and these usages had been learnt from him ages ago.