Persian Footprints in India: How a Slice of Iran’s Culture Shaped the Subcontinent

India’s long ties with Iran spanned centuries, with continuous trade and travel between the Persian Plateau and the Indian subcontinent shaping culture, literature, architecture, and religion. The Persian Plateau, part of the Eurasian Plate, lies between the Arabian and Indian plates, bordered by the Zagros, Caspian Sea, Kopet Dag, Armenian Highlands, Caucasus, Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf, and the Indo‑Gangetic Plain, historically including Parthia and Media.