Indika (Greek: Ἰνδικά; Latin: Indica) is an account of Mauryan India by the Greek writer Megasthenes (died 290 BCE). The original work is now lost, but its fragments have survived in later Greek and Latin works. The earliest of these works are those by Diodorus Siculus, Strabo (Geographica), Pliny, and Arrian (Indica).

Reconstruction Megasthenes' Indica can be reconstructed using the portions preserved by later writers as direct quotations or paraphrase. The parts that belonged to the original text can be identified from the later works based on similar content, vocabulary and phrasing, even when the content has not been explicitly attributed to Megasthenes. Felix Jacoby's Fragmente der griechischen Historiker contains 36 pages of content traced to Megasthenes.

E. A. Schwanbeck identified several fragments attributed to Megasthenes and compiled them into a collection in Latin in 1846. Based on Schwanbeck's work, John Watson McCrindle published a reconstructed version of Indica in 1877. However, this reconstruction is not universally accepted. Schwanbeck and McCrindle attributed several fragments in the writings of the 1st century BCE writer Diodorus to Megasthenes. However, Diodorus does not mention Megasthenes even once, unlike Strabo, who explicitly mentions Megasthenes as one of his sources. There are several differences between the accounts of Megasthenes and Diodorus: for example, Diodorus describes India as 28,000 stadia (roughly 5,000 km, 3,000 miles) long from east to west; Megasthenes gives this number as 16,000 (3,000 km, 2,000 miles). Diodorus states that the Indus may be the world's largest river after the Nile; Megasthenes (as quoted by Arrian) states that the Ganges is much larger than the Nile. Historian R. C. Majumdar points out that the Fragments I and II attributed to Megasthenes in McCrindle's edition cannot originate from the same source, because Fragment I describes the Nile as larger than the Indus, while Fragment II describes the Indus as longer than the Nile and the Danube combined.

Schwanbeck's Fragment XXVII includes four paragraphs from Strabo, and Schwanbeck attributes these entire paragraphs to Megasthenes. However, Strabo cites Megasthenes as his source only for three isolated statements in three different paragraphs. It is likely that Strabo sourced the rest of the text from sources other than Megasthenes: that's why he attributes only three statements specifically to Megasthenes.

Another example is the earliest confirmed description of Gandaridae, which appears in the writings of Diodorus. McCrindle believed that Diodorus' source for this description was the now-lost book of Megasthenes. However, according to A. B. Bosworth (1996), Diodorus obtained this information from Hieronymus of Cardia: Diodorus described the Ganges as 30 stadia (6 km, 4 miles) wide; it is well-attested by other sources that Megasthenes described the median or minimum width of the Ganges as 100 stadia (20 km, 12 miles).

Fragments used by John Watson McCrindle to reconstruct Megasthenes' Indica # Work Author / Editor Section Topic Book number in Megasthenes' Indica 1 Bibliotheca historica Diodorus Siculus II.35-42 Summary of India Summary 2 Bibliotheca historica Diodorus Siculus III.63 Three persons named Dionusos Summary 3 The Anabasis of Alexander Arrian V. 6. 2-11 Boundaries and rivers I 4 Indica (Arrian) Arrian II. 1. 7 Boundaries I 5 Geographica Strabo XV.1.11 Boundaries and extent I 6 Geographica Strabo II.1.7 Size of India I 7 Geographica Strabo XV.1.12 Size of India I 8 Geographica Strabo II.1.4 Size of India I 9 Indica (Arrian) Arrian III. 7–8. Size of India I 10 Geographica Strabo II.1.19 Ursa Major and shadows I 11 Natural History Pliny VI. 22.6. Ursa Major I 12 Geographica Strabo XV.1.20 Fertile soil I 13 Geographica Strabo XV.1.37 Wild animals I 14 De Natura Animalium Claudius Aelianus XVII 39. Indian apes I 15 De Natura Animalium Claudius Aelianus XVI. 41 Winged scorpions and serpents I 16 Geographica Strabo XV.1.56 Animals of India, and the Reed I 17 De Natura Animalium Claudius Aelianus XVI. 20.21 Animals of India I 18 Natural History Pliny VIII. 14. 1 Boa constrictor I 19 De Natura Animalium Claudius Aelianus VIII.7 Of the Electric Eel. I 20 Natural History Pliny VI.24.1 Taprobane I 21 Antigon. Caryst. Antigonus of Carystus 647 Marine trees I 22 Indica (Arrian) Arrian 4. 2–13. Indus and Ganges I 23 Natural History Pliny VI. 21.9-22. 1. Indus and Ganges I 24 Polyhistor Gaius Julius Solinus 52. 6–7. Indus and Ganges I 25 Indica (Arrian) Arrian 6. 2–3. Silas river I 26 Anecdota Graeca Jean François Boissonade de Fontarabie I. p. 419, Silas river I 27 Geographica Strabo XV.1.38 Silas river I 28 Indica (Arrian) Arrian 5. 2 Number of Indian rivers I 29 Geographica Strabo XV.1.35-36 Pataliputra city II 30 Indica (Arrian) Arrian 10 Pataliputra and Indian manners II 31 Geographica Strabo XV.1.53-56 Indian manners II 32 Varia Historia Claudius Aelianus iv.1. Indian manners II 33 Nicol. Damasc. Nicolaus of Damascus 44 Indian manners II 34 Sermones Stobaeus 42 Indian manners II 35 Deipnosophistae Athenaeus iv. p. 153. Indian suppers II 36 Geographica Strabo XV.1.57 Extraordinary tribes II 37 Natural History Pliny VII. ii. 14-22 Extraordinary races II 38 Polyhistor Gaius Julius Solinus 52. 26-30 Extraordinary races II 39 On the Face in the Moon (de facie in orbe lunae) in Moralia Plutarch Opp. ed. Reisk, tom. ix. p. 701. Race of mouthless humans II 40 Indica (Arrian) Arrian Xl.l.-XII.-9 7 castes of India III 41 Geographica Strabo XV.1.39-41 7 castes of India III 42 Geographica Strabo XV.1.50-52 Administration of public affairs; horses and elephants. III 43 De Natura Animalium Claudius Aelianus XIII. 10. Horses and elephants III 44 Geographica Strabo XV.1.41-43 Elephants III 45 Indica (Arrian) Arrian ch. 13–14. Elephants III 46 De Natura Animalium Claudius Aelianus XII. 44. Elephants III 47 De Natura Animalium Claudius Aelianus XIII. 7. Of the diseases of Elephants. III 48 Geographica Strabo XV.1.44 Gold-digging ants III 49 Indica (Arrian) Arrian XV.5-7. Gold-digging ants III 50 Orations Dio Chrysostom Or. 35 Gold-digging ants III 51 Geographica Strabo XV.1.58-60 Indian philosophers III 52 Stromata Clement of Alexandria I. p. 305 D Indian philosophers III 53 Praeparatio evangelica Eusebius IX. 6 Indian philosophers III 54 Contra Julianum (Against Julian) Cyril of Alexandria IV Indian philosophers III 55 Stromata Clement of Alexandria I Indian philosophers III 56 Geographica Strabo XV.1.68 Indian philosophers: Kalanos (Calanus) and Mandanis III 57 The Anabasis of Alexander Arrian VII ii. 3-9 Indian philosophers: Kalanos (Calanus) and Mandanis III 58 Geographica Strabo XV.1.68 Indians had not attacked anyone or faced external attacks; Dionysos and Herakles IV 59 Indica (Arrian) Arrian V. 4–12. Indians had not attacked anyone or faced external attacks; Dionysos and Herakles IV 60 Contra Apion Josephus I. 20 (T. II p. 451, Havere.) King of the Babylonians surpassed Herakles in greatness IV 61 Antiquitates Judaicae Josephus X. ii. 1 (T. I p. 533, Havere.) King of the Babylonians surpassed Herakles in greatness IV 62 Zonar. Annal. Basileae 1557 King of the Babylonians surpassed Herakles in greatness IV 63 G. Syncell. T. I. George Syncellus??? p. 419, ed. Benn. (p. 221 ed. Paris, p. 177 ed. Venet.) King of the Babylonians surpassed Herakles in greatness IV 64 Fragments of Abydenus's writings in Praeparatio evangelica Eusebius I. 41 (ed. Colon. 1688, p. 456 D) King of the Babylonians surpassed Herakles in greatness IV 65 Indica (Arrian) Arrian 7–9. King of the Babylonians surpassed Herakles in greatness IV 66 Natural History Pliny IX. 5 Pearls IV 67 Mirabilia Phlegon of Tralles 33 Pandaian land IV 68 Natural History Pliny VI. xxi. 4–5. Ancient history of Indians IV 69 Polyhistor Gaius Julius Solinus 52. 5. Ancient history of Indians IV 70 The Anabasis of Alexander Arrian VII. ii. 3–9. Indian philosophers: Kalanos (Calanus) and Mandanis IV 71 De Natura Animalium Claudius Aelianus XII. 8. Elephants (Doubtful fragments) 72 De Natura Animalium Claudius Aelianus III. 46. White elephant (Doubtful fragments) 73 De recta in Deum fide ?Adamantius (Pseudo-Origen) vol. I. p. 904. Brachhmans (Brahmins) and their philosophy (Doubtful fragments) 74 Palladius De gentibus Indiae et Bragmanibus Palladius of Galatia pp. 8, 20 et seq. ed. Londin. 1668. Indian philosophers: Kalanos (Calanus) and Mandanis (Doubtful fragments) 75 De Moribus Brachmanorum Ambrose pp. 62, 68 et seq. ed. Pallad. Londin. 1668. Calanus and Mandanis (Doubtful fragments) 76 Natural History Pliny VI. 21. 8-23. 11. Indian races (Doubtful fragments) 77 Polyhistor Gaius Julius Solinus 52. 6–17. Catalogue of Indian Races. (Doubtful fragments) 78 Stratagems Polyaenus I. 1. 1–3. Dionysos (Doubtful fragments) 79 Stratagems Polyaenus I. 3. 4. Hercules and Pandaea (Doubtful fragments) 80 De Natura Animalium Claudius Aelianus XVI. 2-22. Beasts of India (Doubtful fragments)

Indica according to the reconstructed text

According to the text reconstructed by J. W. McCrindle (1877) and Richard Stoneman (2022), Megasthenes' Indica describes India as follows:

Geography

India is a quadrilateral-shaped country, bounded by the Great Sea in the east and the south, Indus River in the west, and Emodus mountain in the north. Beyond the Emodus lies the Sacae-inhabited part of Scythia. Besides Scythia, the countries of Bactria and Ariana border India. India's northern border reaches the extremities of the Tauros. From Ariana to the Eastern Sea, it is bound by mountains that are called the Kaukasos by the Macedonians. The various native names for these mountains include Parapamisos, Hemodus (or Emodus) and Himaos.

The area of India is said to span 28,000 stades from west to east, and 32,000 from north to south. Because of its large size, India is "thought to encompass a larger stretch of the sun's course in summer than any other part of the world". In many of the extreme points of India, a gnomon of the sundial casts no shadow, and the Bears (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor) are not visible at night. In the furthest parts, the pole star is not visible, and it is said that the shadows incline to the south.

India has many large and navigable rivers, which rise in the northern mountains, and flow through the plains. Many of these rivers merge into the Ganges, which is 30 stadia wide at its source, and runs from north to south. The Ganges empties into the ocean that forms the southern boundary of Gandaridae (Gangadarai). The country of Gandaridae has the highest number and the largest elephants in India, because of which other nations are afraid of its strength, and no foreign king has been able to conquer it. Even Alexander of Macedon, who subdued all of Asia and defeated all the other Indians, refrained from making war against Gandaridae when he learned that they had 4,000 war elephants.

The Indus also runs from north to south, and empties into the ocean. It has several navigable tributaries, the most notable ones being Hypanis, the Hydaspes, and the Acesines. (According to a passage of Diodorus traced to Megasthenes, Indus is the world's largest river after Nile. However, according to Arrian, Megasthenes as well as other writers wrote that Ganges is much larger than Indus.)

One peculiar river is the Sillas, which originates from a fountain of the same name. Everything cast into this river sinks down to the bottom – nothing floats in it. In addition, there are a large number of other rivers, supplying abundant water for agriculture. According to the native philosophers and natural scientists, this is because the bordering countries (Scythia, Bactria, and Ariana) are more elevated than India, so their waters run down to India.

History