From Georgius Huszthius to Elisabeth Brunner: Hungarian–Indian cultural relations in the mirror of centuries

Throughout their history, Hungarians have always looked with great interest at the East, in which they saw their former homeland, Magna Hungaria. Perhaps this is the reason why the instinctive interest of Hungarian travellers, scientists, merchants and artists was sincere. At the same time, it is surprising that, despite the fact that the Hungarian nation was never one of the European colonizers, many Hungarians, or persons belonging to a minority living in the territory of Hungary, showed interest in the East and came to India over the centuries. These individuals, returning home and writing down the experiences they gained during their stay in India, have contributed significantly to giving Europeans an insight into the exotic world of Indian religions, literature, languages, arts. Without wishing to be exhaustive, the study highlights the development of Hungarian–Indian cultural relations and presents those Hungarians who played an important role in the continuous development of these cultural ties.

Keywords: culture, Hungary, India