Changes

The Mauryan Emperor Asoka was keen to spread the Buddhist faith, and he sent missionaries to the Greeks who lived in his realms and Bactria. It seems that many descendants of Alexander’s colonists and soldiers became followers of the Buddha and that there are even documented examples of Greek Buddhist monks. Following the collapse of the Mauryan Empire, a unique Greco-Buddhism developed, a combination of Hellenistic and Indian elements .<ref>Singh, p 118</ref>.

This syncretic religion influenced the development of the Mahayana tradition in Buddhism and its pantheon of deities. The Indo-Greek kingdoms became important centers of Buddhism, and they were instrumental in the spread of the religion into Central Asia and ultimately into China. The long-term consequences of Alexander’s invasion were a chain of events that decisively influenced the development of Buddhism and helped the spread of that faith.