“From Indeа to Astrakhan, Kazan, Moscow”: from the history of cultural, trade and diplomatic ties between Russia and India in the XVII century

The “turn to the East” in politics and science formed in recent years attention to the study of the exclusively Chinese model of civilizational development. At the same time, research on India, whose human and cultural potential is comparable to China's, were forced out to the periphery. Nowadays, India is increasingly mentioned as Russia's leading strategic partner. The historical context of relations between the two countries is becoming the basis on which the current configuration of ties is built. The notion of the origins of these relations, their quality, and stylistics makes research on this topic relevant. The article touches upon the issue of Russian-Indian trade, cultural and diplomatic ties during the XVII century. During this period, a colony of Indian merchants on the territory of Astrakhan was established, and four embassies to India were organized. This period was of great importance in the formation and development of ties between the two states, laid the foundations of friendly perception of the peoples by each other. The authors have attracted and quoted documents (orders of the Ambassadorial Prikaz, reports of ambassadors, documents reflecting the life of the merchant colony in Astrakhan), as their style reflects the quality of the emerging relations between Russia and India.