I agree. The idea that India was somehow a unique den of civilization that was repeatedly hurt by invasions is recent. May have a little something to do with colonial-era humiliation that is then extended to all conquerors in the past. I mean someone as smart as Nehru went out of his way to craft the picture of India as a special place on Earth. But again, this is separate from how the ancient South Asians would have perceived their humiliation.

However, you also have to notice that most South Asians do not think of themselves as imperialists, the way West or the Arabs or Persians were. They seem to think that their ancestors never invaded other lands (which is untrue). My silly theory is that because they think of themselves as noble and civilized people, they just cannot accept the fact that they were repeatedly invaded by ‘barbarians’ who sacrileged their holy sites and intruded on their lives. That’s the narrative they are going with: Indians peaceful and gentle, other world powers evil and war-mongering.