This article covers the historical and cultural links between India and Azerbaijan, language teaching, cultural programmes and training for Azerbaijani officials under ITEC. It is based on the MEA bilateral brief of April 2026.

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, India and Azerbaijan have friendly relations, based on civilisational linkages, cultural affinities and shared values of understanding and respect for other cultures.

The brief states that Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, got its name from Bagavan/Bhagavan, by which it was known during Sassanian rule, while Azerbaijan gets its name from Azer (Fire) and Bhagavan (God).

The Ateshgah fire temple

The brief describes the Ateshgah fire temple near Baku, dedicated to goddess Jvala Devi, as a fine example of the age-old historical relations and cultural exchanges between India and Azerbaijan. The 18th century monument has a much older history and used to have a Trident (Trishul) over it. Its wall inscriptions in Devanagiri and Gurmukhi are, in the brief's words, a surviving proof of the trade links and hospitality that Indian merchants enjoyed in Azerbaijani cities such as Baku and Ganja.

The brief gives these details of the inscriptions:

  • Of the 23 inscriptions found at the temple, 18 are in Devanagri and 2 in Gurmukhi.
  • The sacred Hindu Swastika symbol is found in six inscriptions, and the majority begin with "Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah".
  • Goddess Jvala Ji is mentioned over a dozen times.
  • The two Gurmukhi inscriptions mention Guru Nanak by name, and his visit to Baku between 1511-1521.

Visits in the Soviet period

When Azerbaijan was part of the erstwhile Soviet Union, India's ties with the then Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic were primarily through Moscow. Rabindranath Tagore, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (as Vice President, in 1956) and Jawaharlal Nehru (in 1961) visited the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

The brief states that cultural exchanges between Azerbaijan and India have led to close cultural affinity and shared traditions. The Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi, whom the brief calls world renowned, had a profound influence on eminent Indian poets such as Amir Khusrau. A portrait of Nizami Ganjavi hangs in the Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi, and there is a folio of his poem Laila-Majnu at Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi.

The Azerbaijani singer and actor Rashid Behbudov, a noted tenor who switched to singing popular Azerbaijani songs in the European classical tradition, was a close friend of Raj Kapoor. The brief also notes that Indian intellectuals such as Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore are well known in Azerbaijan.

Cultural programmes and exchanges

Mr. Nagif Hamzayev, Member of Parliament, visited India under ICCR's Distinguished Visitors' Programme in August 2019. Azerbaijan's Minister of Youth and Sports, Farid Gayibov, visited India on 17-19 September 2024.

On 20 February 2026, the Indian Mission launched "Baku Evenings", a new cultural series aimed at promoting India's culture, education, arts and heritage through community events in Azerbaijan. The brief states that the series seeks to strengthen people-to-people ties between India and Azerbaijan through cultural exchange.

Hindi and Sanskrit

A Hindi teaching Center, supported by ICCR, functioned at the Azerbaijan University of Languages (AUL) between October 2010 and November 2019. Sanskrit and Hindi are being taught at the Azerbaijan University of Languages.

Training under ITEC

Under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, the Government of India offers about 30 fully-paid training courses to Azerbaijani officials every year. More than 230 Azerbaijani scholars had availed ITEC courses till December 2024. During the pandemic the programmes were switched to online mode, and more than 200 Azerbaijani scholars attended e-ITEC programmes.