Why didn't ancient Indian kingdoms expand westwards into the Middle East and Europe?

Why didn't ancient Indian kingdoms expand westwards into the Middle East and Europe?

Balaji Viswanathan's answer is pretty comprehensive. Here's a little case study on the foreign policy experiments of the Mughals who were probably best placed to expand Westwards and their experience is very indicative of why the expansion did not happen.

Expanding into Central Asia

Ever since Babur came south from Kabul, his descendants (till Aurangazeb) usually occupied both sides of the Khyber Pass. They held Kabul except for brief intervals, and while they did not always hold Kandahar, they were always in control of it (they were usually well positioned to cut off supplies and retake the fort).

Now Babur always dreamed of recapturing Samarkhand, the capital of his illustrious ancestor Timur. Though he mostly failed, his great-great-grandson Shah Jahan found himself with a great opportunity to retake it. He sent an army of Mughals and Rajputs under his son Murad to take Balkh, which he did in 1646. In 1647 Aurangazeb, in an early indication of his great military acumen, totally routed a 120,000 strong Uzbek army that attacked them at Balkh. From here, Shah Jahan hoped to take Samarkhand and Bukhara. There was hostility among the local populace but Shah Jahan could still claim to be a Timurid, which the Uzbeks were not, thus lending some legitimacy to his claim on Samarkhand. Yet, Shah Jahan found not one Mughal (or Rajput) noble willing to stay and continue the campaign in Central Asia. Though the historic homeland of the Mughals, it was no longer any match for the luxuries of Hindustan. The Mughals left Balkh in October 1647 just as winter was approaching. The return was nearly a rout, as they were repeatedly attacked by roving Uzbeki bands, except for Aurangazeb who kept the army focused and together.

Expanding into Persia

To the south of the Uzbek Khanate was Persia. Since the days of Babur, the Ottomans and the Persians always vied to be best friends with the Mughals. Babur initially allied with the Persian Shah Ismail I to defeat the Uzbeki Shaibanids and take Samarkhand. After they had a falling out, the Ottoman Sultan Selim I sent Babur some gifts as a token of his friendship - canons and the gun master Ustad Ali Quli (which Selim had used to great effect against the Persians, and Babur used with similar success in conquering Hindustan). Over the decades and centuries, the Ottomans and the Uzbeks, who were both always fighting the Persians, would time and again suggest that they should both ally with the Mughals against the Persians. A three way attack on Persia - the Ottomans in the west, the Uzbeks in the north and the Mughals from the east would destroy the Safavid empire once and for all. This was a potential opportunity for the Mughals to expand further west than any Indian empire had before. And yet, that alliance never happened. The Mughals never trusted the Uzbeks enough, and mostly maintained friendly relations with the Persians. The Persians gave Humayun refuge when he was deposed, and culturally dominated the Mughals, even if they could not get the Mughals to covert to the Shia sect. Of course that friendship collapsed after Aurangazeb, but that is another story altogether.


https://linksredirect.com/?pub_id=11719CL10653&url=http%3A//www.archiesonline.com/