Widdekind

Cyrus the Great led cultural resurgence in 530s BC

Cyrus the Great famously liberated Babylon in 539 BC, giving freedom to the people, and ruling with respect & kindness, which won the hearts & minds of the masses. As first Shah, of the Persian Achaemenid dynasty, Cyrus the Great issued a charter of human rights, recorded on the famous Cyrus Cylinder, which outlawed slavery & guaranteed religious tolerance for all:

I am Cyrus the Great, the ruler of the [sic?] world, the great king, the just king, son of Cambyses. Once I entered Babylonia in peace, all people greeted me with kindness. My army entered the city peacefully, I did not allow any hardship to befall the people of this land. I gave order for nations to freely worship their gods. I struggled for peace & tranquility.

Shah Cyrus ruled the largest empire, in human history, to that time, one which stretched from "the Danube to Iran to India". All known historical sources portray Cyrus in a positive light. He garnered awe, and was seen as worthy of emulation. Amongst the Jews, whom he freed from bondage in Babylon, and authorized to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem, he was hailed as a "Messiah" (savior), mentioned more times in the Hebrew bible than anyone other than the Prophets. He may also be mentioned in the Qu'ran. And, the Cyropedia, the first biography written in Greek, describes Cyrus the Great as the ideal man-king, from whom the Greeks must learn*.

* Iran -- the Forgotten Glory (DVD); http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_t...n_the_Qur%27an

Buddha led cultural resurgence in India c.530 BC

Siddhartha Gautama, in India, was a contemporary of Cyrus the Great, in the Middle East:

Siddhartha... was born about 563 BC, in a small kingdom, that would become the country of Nepal. His family, the Gautamas, ruled the kingdom. Siddhartha's father was King Shuddodana, and his mother was Queen Maya. The king & queen named their prince Siddhartha, b/c it means 'the one who obtains success & prosperity'.

At that time (6th century BC), in India, as in the Middle East, the culture was cruel & oppressive:

Siddhartha lived a very sheltered life. He grew up in rich palaces, and never wanted for anything. Servants waited on him.. He had beautiful clothing, and ate the finest food. In those days, ordinary people had difficult lives. Most were very poor. They wore dirty, ragged clothing, and often went hungry. People suffered from diseases, and often died quite young.

The king did not want Siddhartha to know about such suffering in the world. Perhaps the king thought such knowledge would sadden or worry his son. The king built a high wall around his palaces, and he never allowed Siddhartha to leave the royal court. The prince never saw poor people. He never knew that many people suffered from illness & hunger.

But, about the same time that Cyrus the Great liberated Babylon, and freed the Jews, Prince Siddhartha founded the Buddhist religion, as a reaction against the oppression of the masses:

Siddhartha finally left the confines of the palace when he was about 30 years old [c.533 BC]. In the real world, he saw four things. He saw a sick man, a beggar, a dead body, and a monk (a religious man) who looked happy & peaceful. Those sights made Siddhartha realize that some people were poor. He realized that people become ill, grow old & weak, and die. Siddhartha was upset, and grew anxious. He worried that one day he, too, would get old, become sick, and die. He became depressed and very sad. His depression caused him to suffer for the first time.

Then Siddhartha remembered the peaceful monk. He decided to become a monk, and spend his life searching for a way to end suffering The prince left his riches behind, moved away from the palace, and joined group of monks in the forest. He prayed & prayed for relief from suffering.

Siddhartha continued to worry, and so he continued to suffer. After years of praying, Siddhartha left those monks, and went of by himself to search for a way to overcome suffering.

Siddhartha traveled to the village of Gaya, located on the banks of a broad river that flows into the River Ganges. There he decided to sit under a huge fig tree & meditate. Meditation means emptying the mid of all ordinary, everyday thoughts. Practioners believe that when this happens, what is truly important becomes clear to the mind. Siddhartha decided he would stay under the tree, and continue meditating, until it became clear how to end human suffering.

After many days & nights of meditation, Siddhartha had a great realization. He understood why people suffered, and how they could avoid it. People suffered, Siddhartha believed, b/c they did not understand the true nature of reality. By thinking, acting, and living in peace & harmony with all things, people could find the truth.

When Siddhartha had this realization [about 530 BC] Buddhists believe he awakened, or attained enlightenment. Enlightenment is the state of having true wisdom. Siddhartha then devoted himself to teaching others how to become enlightened. He gathered many followers. Siddhartha became known as the Buddha ('the enlightened one'). The tree where he sat became known as the Bodhi ('enlightenment') Tree. The town became known as Bodh Gaya*.

Thus, the "religious revival", brought about by Shah Cyrus the Great, in the Middle East, closely coincides, with the beginnings of Buddhism, in India.

* M.Woods & M.B.Woods. Seven Wonders of Ancient Asia, pp. 18-21.

CONCLUSION (?):

Shah Cyrus the Great's empire reached the borders of India. It seems likely that he, and his religious reforms, would have been known in nearby Nepal. Since Prince Siddhartha Gautama began Buddhism about this time, it looks likely, that Cyrus the Great's humanitarian & religious reforms, in the Middle East, informed & inspired those of the Buddha, in India.

Widdekind

According to the History Channel documentary Chasing Mummies -- Discovered (TV), the hand-winch was developed in 499 BC. This coincides closely with the powerful Persian expansionism towards Europe, under Shahs Darius & Xerxes (early 5th century BC). Perhaps such expansionism was powered, by a "culture of innovation", brought about by the religious reforms & humanitarianism, of Shah Cyrus the Great ?

Sargon of Akkad

While I agree that Cyrus would have been known about, he went West - how quickly would information about his conquests have made it back as far as Nepal?