Indo-Romanian cultural links
The Romanian and Indian peoples share many common features. A quick analysis of the two peoples (separated by a huge distance) reveals a large number of parallels and indirect contacts between them. They have a common origin being Indo-European peoples, so their ancient cultural and spiritual background is the same. Across centuries the Indians and the Romanians communicated indirectly through the medium of the Middle Eastern peoples.
Some Indian myths and legends entered the Romanian folklore indirectly from the Turkish and Greek cultures. A very good example is the hagiographic novel Varlaam și Ioasaf, a Christian version of the legend of Siddharta Gautama. Through the medium of the Middle Eastern cultures, some tales from Pañchatantra were inserted in the Romanian work Învățăturile lui Neagoe Basarab către fiul său Teodosie, as Amita Bhose stated.
The Indian professor Amita Bhose traced the links between some of Constantin Brâncuși’ (an internationally renowned Romanian sculptor) works and the Indian symbolism (the endless column or the egg), setting a parallel between the Romanian and the Indian folklore. Two of the canonical Romanian writers Mihai Eminescu and Mircea Eliade were fascinated by the Indian culture and philosophy.