Cultural Ties between India and Central Asia: Historical and Contemporary

India and Central Asia may today be separated by mountain ranges and modern borders, but for more than two thousand years they functioned as parts of a single, interconnected cultural world. Ideas, faiths, languages, and art forms travelled freely across this expanse, leaving an imprint that survives in both regions. Understanding these cultural ties is essential to making sense of why the five Central Asian republics-Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-are described in foreign policy as part of an “extended neighbourhood.” This post traces the relationship from its ancient roots through the medieval and Soviet periods to the cultural diplomacy of today.

The ancient foundations of the relationship
The Silk Road as a cultural highway
The Kushan Empire: a shared political space
Buddhism travels north
Medieval exchanges: Islam, Sufism, and the Mughals
The Sufi connection
Rulers with Central Asian roots
The Soviet era and the revival of cultural links
The Raj Kapoor phenomenon
Independence and new beginnings
Cultural diplomacy in the contemporary era
Soft power through art, films, and yoga
Education and scholarships
The India-Central Asia Summit and shared heritage
Why these cultural ties still matter

The ancient foundations of the relationship

The connection between the subcontinent and Central Asia is among the oldest sustained cultural relationships in Asian history. Both regions sit at the heart of overland routes that linked civilisations, and goods and ideas moved between them long before the modern map took shape. The two regions have shared deep linkages over roughly two millennia through people-to-people contact, trade, and commerce.

The Silk Road as a cultural highway

The single most important channel was the Silk Road, the network of trade routes connecting the subcontinent to Central Asia, China, Persia, and ultimately Europe. It was never just a corridor for silk and spices. Merchants and scholars carried goods, ideas, and cultural practices along these routes, allowing religions, languages, and artistic styles to spread across vast distances. Cities such as Samarkand became meeting points where Indian mathematics, astronomy, and literature were studied alongside other traditions. This was a two-way exchange in which both regions grew through contact rather than in isolation.

The Kushan Empire: a shared political space

The most striking proof of how intertwined the two regions were is the Kushan Empire, which flourished from the first to the third centuries CE. At its height, this single state stretched from Central Asia deep into northern India, bringing together peoples around Bactria-covering parts of modern Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan-and Gandhara in present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. The empire controlled the southern Silk Road routes and grew wealthy from the trade passing through its territory.

Its most famous ruler, Emperor Kanishka, embraced Buddhism and actively promoted it across his realm. Under Kushan stability, Buddhist monasteries were established along the trade routes, and both commerce and cultural exchange flourished together. This period also produced the Gandhara school of art, which blended Greek, Persian, and Indian elements into a distinctive style. The Kushan example shows that for centuries India and Central Asia were not foreign to each other but could exist within one political and cultural framework.

Buddhism travels north

Of all the cultural exports, Buddhism left the deepest mark. The faith spread from the subcontinent into Central Asia, where Indian monks founded monasteries and translated sacred texts. The Kushan Empire was a major factor in transmitting Buddhism from India through Central Asia and onward to China. Important Buddhist sites such as Termez, Fayaz Tepe, Kara Tepe, and Adzhina Tepe in the region stand as physical evidence of this spiritual exchange. For modern Central Asians, these ruins are a reminder that their land was once a major centre of a faith born in the subcontinent.

Medieval exchanges: Islam, Sufism, and the Mughals

The cultural relationship did not end when Buddhism declined. It transformed. The medieval period brought a new wave of connection, this time through Islam and especially through Sufism, the mystical tradition within Islam.

The Sufi connection

Central Asian Sufi saints and scholars travelled to the subcontinent, and their orders took root and flourished here. Sufi mysticism became one of the strongest cultural bridges between the two regions, shaping devotional music, poetry, and shrine traditions that remain alive today. Alongside Buddhism, the shared heritage of Islam, Sufism, and rich literary traditions binds India and Central Asia together in common cultural perceptions.

Rulers with Central Asian roots

The political dimension of this medieval link is hard to overstate. Many rulers who established Muslim dynasties in the subcontinent traced their origins to Central Asia. The most famous example is the Mughal dynasty: its founder, Babur, came from the Fergana Valley in present-day Uzbekistan and was a descendant of both Timur and Genghis Khan. The architecture, garden design, miniature painting, and courtly culture the Mughals brought with them carried strong Central Asian influences, which then fused with local traditions to create something entirely new. This is why the relationship is described as one of reciprocal cultural enrichment rather than one-way influence.

The Soviet era and the revival of cultural links

When Central Asia became part of the Soviet Union, direct people-to-people contact with the subcontinent was limited by Cold War geopolitics. Yet this period produced one of the most remarkable chapters in the cultural story: the extraordinary popularity of Indian cinema across the Soviet world, including Central Asia.

The Raj Kapoor phenomenon

After India gained independence and built close ties with the Soviet Union, Indian cinema became a powerful tool of cultural exchange. The breakthrough came with Raj Kapoor’s Awaara, released in 1951 in India and dubbed for Soviet audiences in 1954. The film became a sensation, and its theme song turned into an anthem sung on streets and in homes across the region. Kapoor’s everyman characters, often compared to Charlie Chaplin’s, resonated with audiences recovering from the hardships of war.

The scale of this cultural flow was enormous. Between 1954 and 1991, more than 200 Indian films were imported into the Soviet Union, compared with only a few dozen from the United States. Indian cinema offered colour, music, and emotion at a time when Western pop culture was largely kept out. Stars such as Mithun Chakraborty later matched and even exceeded Kapoor’s popularity, with Disco Dancer becoming a defining hit. For millions of Central Asians, these films were their first and most vivid window into Indian life, and that affection has shaped attitudes toward India for generations.

Independence and new beginnings

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 created five newly independent Central Asian states and a fresh opportunity to rebuild direct ties. India was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with these republics in 1992. While the practical relationship saw some neglect in the years that followed, the underlying reservoir of goodwill-built on history and decades of cinematic affection-remained intact and ready to be tapped.

Cultural diplomacy in the contemporary era

In recent decades, cultural ties have been deliberately revived through structured diplomacy. The aim is to convert historical goodwill into lasting people-to-people connections, and culture has become a central instrument of this effort.

Soft power through art, films, and yoga

India works to strengthen its presence in the region by promoting classical dance, music, films, yoga, literature, and educational programmes that reinforce the historical ties with Central Asia. Yoga has become a particularly visible bridge. In 2023, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, in partnership with the Indian Embassy and the Yoga Federation of Uzbekistan, organised the first-ever International Conference on Yoga in Central Asia, held in Tashkent with participation from across Eurasia. Events like these build everyday familiarity with Indian culture among younger Central Asians.

Education and scholarships

Education has become one of the most effective channels for deepening ties. Indian universities, especially in engineering, medicine, and technology, are popular destinations for Central Asian students. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), an autonomous body under the Ministry of External Affairs established in 1950, plays a leading role here. It administers around 3,000 scholarships each year under 21 different schemes to students from roughly 180 countries, including the Central Asian republics. These scholarships cover both professional fields and the study of Indian culture, dance, music, yoga, and languages. Each scholar effectively becomes a goodwill ambassador for India on returning home.

Technical training adds another layer. The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme offers capacity-building courses that have proved popular across the region, complementing cultural outreach with practical skills.

The India-Central Asia Summit and shared heritage

The most significant recent milestone was the first India-Central Asia Summit, held virtually in January 2022. Leaders agreed on several concrete cultural initiatives, including showcasing Buddhist exhibitions in Central Asian countries, commissioning a dictionary of words common to India and the region, and welcoming an annual 100-member youth delegation from Central Asia to India. The dictionary project is especially symbolic, celebrating the linguistic similarities that centuries of contact produced.

This effort to revive the shared Buddhist past has continued through larger platforms. Under its leadership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, India organised events on “Shared Buddhist Heritage” bringing together Central Asian and other nations to explore commonalities in Buddhist art, archaeological sites, and museum collections. By foregrounding this common heritage, India turns ancient history into a living foundation for modern partnership.

Why these cultural ties still matter

The cultural relationship between India and Central Asia is not a museum piece. It is an active asset in contemporary diplomacy. The goodwill generated by Buddhism, Sufism, Mughal heritage, and decades of beloved cinema gives India a level of acceptability in the region that few other powers can match. India explicitly uses this soft power, drawing on Buddhist and Bollywood linkages, to strengthen people-to-people ties and support its broader strategic and economic goals in Eurasia. Culture, in other words, is the bedrock on which trade, connectivity, and security cooperation can be built.

What do you think? If shared history and culture create such strong goodwill, why do you think trade and economic ties between India and Central Asia have lagged behind the cultural relationship? And can soft power instruments like films, yoga, and scholarships realistically translate into lasting strategic partnerships, or do they need a stronger economic foundation to endure?

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 1

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

References

PDF 📄

Table of Contents

The ancient foundations of the relationship 🔗

The Silk Road as a cultural highway 🔗

The Kushan Empire: a shared political space 🔗

Buddhism travels north 🔗

Medieval exchanges: Islam, Sufism, and the Mughals 🔗

The Sufi connection 🔗

Rulers with Central Asian roots 🔗

The Soviet era and the revival of cultural links 🔗

The Raj Kapoor phenomenon 🔗

Independence and new beginnings 🔗

Cultural diplomacy in the contemporary era 🔗

Soft power through art, films, and yoga 🔗

Education and scholarships 🔗

The India-Central Asia Summit and shared heritage 🔗

Why these cultural ties still matter 🔗