In the quiet town of Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, stands an ancient stone pillar that tells an unusual tale—of a Greek ambassador who became a devotee of Lord Vishnu over 2,200 years ago.
Origins of the Heliodorus Pillar
The pillar, now called the Heliodorus Pillar, was erected around 113 BCE by Heliodorus, an envoy from the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas to the court of King Bhagabhadra of the Shunga dynasty. What makes it remarkable is the inscription carved on it: Heliodorus describes himself as a Bhāgavata—a devotee of Vishnu.
This discovery astonished historians, for it revealed not only the spread of Vaishnavism in ancient India but also how foreign visitors could be deeply moved by Indian philosophy and religion.
The inscription praises the god Vasudeva (an early form of Vishnu-Krishna worship) and describes the pillar as a Garuda-dhvaja (standard of Garuda, Vishnu’s mount).
Early Evidence of Krishna Worship
The Heliodorus Pillar has often been cited as one of the earliest archaeological evidences of Krishna worship. It shows that Bhakti traditions, usually associated with later centuries, were already flourishing by the 2nd century BCE.
For Heliodorus, the pillar was more than diplomacy—it was a declaration of faith. A Greek by birth, he crossed cultural boundaries to embrace a spiritual path rooted in India.
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