An ocean general circulation model (OGCM) of the Indian Ocean is forced by paleoclimate simulations for five time slices over the last 126,000 years. Using an annual period sinusoidal fit to the perpetual January and July paleoclimatic model forcing, the OGCM produces seasonal cycles in velocity fields, both vertical and horizontal, and temperature/salinity fields at these five times. The simulations indicate that the southern hemisphere upper ocean circulation of the Indian Ocean is essentially/invariant to climatic fluctuation on this time scale. They also suggest that the low‐insolation (18,000 years B.P.) northern hemisphere upper ocean summer circulation was very much weaker compared to high‐insolation periods (such as 9000 years B.P. and 126,000 years B.P.), by perhaps an order of magnitude. By contrast, the simulated low‐insolation winter northern hemisphere upper ocean circulation was substantially stronger than during high insolation periods. Equatorial upwelling, as simulated, is shown to be a mainly boreal summer event, reduced by an order of magnitude during low‐insolation conditions. A similar reduction in upwelling is seen along the Arabian coast, but a less severe decrease along the Somalian coast. The model simulation of February and August sea surface temperature at 18,000 years B.P., the height of the last glaciation, is generally within 1°–2°C of paleoclimate reconstructions. The effect of lower glacial sea level on the circulation is shown to be