Italy - India: Where the Twain Meet?

Sleuthing Italy - India links

On the face of it, I'd never have imagined that the culture of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula has much in common with the Indian sub-continent, yet as I study further, I realize that there exist amazing similarities and links suggesting an exchange of culture and beliefs of a proportion that most of us are unaware of.

Geographically, the two countries Italy and India, have a similarity in being protected to the north by a range of mountains, the Alps for Italy and the Himalayas for India. Then again, one common factor is that both countries are a seat of a major world religion, Christianity for Italy (Rome) and Hinduism for India.

But there is much in common that lies beyond this more obvious likeness, for which we must turn the pages of history.

Politically, ancient Italy was the headquarters of the Roman empire, a kingdom that spread across Europe and the west-Asian land mass, to border the Indian empire of the time. Naturally then, there existed interaction between these two greats, which led to appreciation and assimilation of each others culture. The empire to the west of the Indus, or in this case the Roman empire (which followed the Persian and Greek empires) constituted the West of the world, which was also India's immediate neighbor.

Architecture

The two empires had established land and sea links that facilitated communication and commercial exchange. The most apparent signs of influence are the more obvious ones, in this case, being the buildings - the replication of architectural designs in distant lands. The foremost of these is the Stupa hemi-spherical design that was first used outside the Indian sub-continent land mass in Sri Lanka, in the centuries between 300 BC to 400AD. The inter-locking dome of the Stupa became the prototype for the domes built by the Romans and also in the Byzantine empire, influences of which are found throughout Italian art and culture.

Believed to be a sacred design, the dome is said to have originated from primitive architecture which involved the construction of a thatched or animal skin circular roof for shelter. This shelter or home was inhabited by generations and hence also came to represent ones ancestors. In communities where ancestors are worshipped as Gods, the circular designed homes eventually come to be seen as the earthly abodes of their Gods. Thanks to the Roman invention of concrete, the construction of the dome was improved and became capable of spanning enormous spaces. Roman buildings such as the Pantheon (AD 120-127) and the Baths of Caracalla (AD 212-16) are domed structures of an unprecedented scale.

The perfect geometry of this circular structure also symbolized order and harmony; its lack of beginnings and ends, corners and ridges, suggested continuity. When raised to a great height and enclosing a vast space underneath, the outer dome became a prestige symbol (such as St. Peter's Basilica in Rome) and the inner dome became a representation of inclusion and unity for it had the capacity to seat many at public gatherings. No wonder then that the dome was deemed appropriate architecture for religious and civic buildings. Buildings based on Roman architecture stand today throughout the world, however not many are aware that the architecture originated from simple designs in India. Melting pots of art & culture / Commercial ties

Both Italy and India have the privilege of being nations whose past glory has shaped the cultural and social development of the vast regions, if not the whole world. In fact, both countries have to thank the confluence of people from all over at the seat of the Roman and Indian empires for the eclectic art and cultural mix they have adopted as their own.

Just as Italian art is a derivation of antique art, blended with Byzantine and then Gothic influences, Indian culture is largely a medley of art forms brought to it by civilizations lying beyond the Indian peninsular.

As the northern Indian state of Kashmir was by far the easiest to access by artists traveling the land route, it is not surprising that Roman artists who could be found especially during the reign of King Lalitaditya (AD 925-56), were influenced by the prevalent eclectic Kashmiri artistic traditions, imbibing Gupta Indian, the Gandharan, the Central Asian, the Iranian and the Byzantine styles.

These artisans served to carry forth designs to their native lands, designs which may be seen on objects de art created for Italian noblemen. A vase excavated by archaeologists in Italy shows Vali and Sugreeva - two monkey chiefs disputing over a woman Tara whom both claim as wife. Being monkeys they are undressed. It is believed that this is one of the many Indian Ramayanic (an epic) scenes found sketched on Italian art. A Ramayanic episode found painted in ancient Italian homes shows Lav and Kusha driving away a captured royal sacrificial horse belonging to their father Rama. Interestingly, the founding of Rome is ascribed to brothers Remus and Ramulus - again believed to be later-day derivations of the Hindu name Rama.

Further, manifestations of trading exchange between Italy and India lie in the Roman coins that have been excavated in peninsular India. Indian fabrics are thought to have been craved by Roman nobility. So much so, that at one point, so much gold was leaving Rome for India that the Roman economy was seriously weakened.
According to I.K.K. Menon, "there is evidence of a temple of Augustus near Muziris (Cranganore, Kerala) and a force of 1200 Roman soldiers stationed in the town for the protection of Roman commerce." The trade was so valuable that it had to be protected!

Religion

During the early days of the Roman empire, its rulers worshipped the God Mithras. Known throughout Europe and Asia by the names Mithra, Mitra, Meitros, Mihr, Mehr, and Meher, it is believed that the veneration of this God began some 4000 years ago in Persia, where it was soon merged with Babylonian doctrines.

Until the reign of Constantine, Christianity was largely not accepted and Mithraism, along with the worship of other Gods was the norm. Like the Greeks, the Romans made conscious efforts to understand the religions of India by trying to fit them as far as possible into Greco-Roman categories. To make things easier and more familiar, deities were referred to in Greek terms or names. Thus Shiva, was identified as "Dionysos," Krsna (or perhaps Indra) as "Heracles." The great Indian epics were compared to those of Homer.

What needs to be underlined is that the Romans assimilated other faiths and beliefs, possibly for their own benefit and lasting reign. The building known as the Pantheon, designed and erected by Hadrian and considered the greatest of all Roman temples, was dedicated to "all the gods".

This may be substantiated by pictures that have been found that show a Roman consul wearing the Hindu forehead mark, 'V', called tilak and worn on the forehead to represent that one is a Vaishnava, a worshiper of Lord Krishna or Vishnu.

Nuggets of ancient Vedic culture image that suggests the worship of the Vedic Lord Shiva are also to be found in modern Italy. On a public fountain in Bologna stands a figure said to be the Roman God Neptune. A trident on this statue of Neptune, along with the hoods of two snakes coiled around his neck on each of his shoulders, are so typical of the Indian God Shiva, whose emblem was the trident and who is also adorned with serpents around his neck and arms. This proposes the adoption of a belief from a distant land, India, even though it was re-named for the masses of the Roman empire.

Images resembling Ganesh, Shiva, Rama and Krishna have been found in many archeological excavations throughout Italy, although not publicized by Christians. Belgium's historian Konraad Elst also remarks "that many early Christian saints, such as Hippolytus of Rome, possessed an intimate knowledge of Brahmanism."

The road for religious assimilation was open both ways. The Indian civilization is known for its capacity to absorb alien ideas and beliefs and give birth to still new ideologies. In a land that already had a pantheon of gods and goddesses, Christianity, or the Roman Catholic Church as it came to be recognized, was accepted by the masses initially not so much as an alternate faith, but its icons, Jesus and Mary, became two more gods worthy of worship.

Slowly though, the number of Catholics in India has risen so drastically that now outside Italy, it is held as a country having one of the largest congregations of Catholics worldwide.

There is often more to cultural and ideological crossover that meets the eye. Consider this: the Brahmin (highest/priestly) caste of the Hindus are said to be "twice-born" and have a ritual in which they are "born in the spirit." Could this be the ultimate source of the Christian "born again" concept (John 3:3)?
Probably, we will never know…

Roman Baths

The infamous Roman Baths have a precedent in only one other region in the world - the ancient Indus civilization - where building techniques for bathrooms and large basins existed that possibly served as community bathing areas. This ancient design was replicated and surpassed in finesse by the Roman baths, built 2500 years later. The Roman penchant to spend time in the baths (thermae) is well known and led to the construction of the largest of them all, the Diocletian, completed in AD 305 which covered an area of 130,000 sq. yards.

Modern days

Backtracking to the modern day, inspite of the heritage of ancient civilizations that is common to both Italy and India, the countries are relatively young states. Italy was reunified only in 1861 and India acquired freedom from the British in 1947.
Having been literally born or should I say re-born in this modern age, both nations see a democratic framework as the ideal model to ensure the protection of the freedom and rights of all its citizens.

Even though one major difference between these nations is their current state of development, bilateral trade should be encouraged. The emphasis, should possibly be on industries where design plays an all-paramount role, such as automobile, fashion, interiors and jewellery, to name a few. Italy has reached the pinnacle of development in these industries, perhaps because design is written in all facets of Italian lifestyle. An emphasis on form and therefore craft is apparent in Italian food, fashion and architecture, to name a few. In contrast, India is still on the road to developing its talents in the three former industries, but could contribute to the Italian industry with its incredible aptitude in traditional jewellery.

The epitome of crossover culture: Sonia Gandhi

As I look around India, it is impossible not to think of the epitome of crossover culture, Sonia Gandhi, widow of the slain Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, grandson to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and son to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Born Antonia Maino in Ovassanjo near Torino, she heads India's leading secular political Congress Party and holds a much-respected position within the cadres of Congress workers. She met her husband Rajiv Gandhi when they were both studying at Cambridge in the 1960s. They married in 1968 and settled down in India. After his assassination in 1991, she became reclusive insofar as politics is concerned, however, six years later, after politicians convinced her to join the Congress party, she returned to active public life. Having lived in India 40 years now and holding herself to be an Indian, one can only hope that Sonia uses her political position to encourage Indian relations with her country of origin to mutual benefit.

References:

For archaeological excavations in Italy, see
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/art_photo_seven.htm and
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/art_photo_twentytwo.htm