It is believed that one of the oldest English stories is Beowulf.. The Achaemenid Empire had established at least two satrapies in the Indus River Valley. He then sent Porus with his forces to the cities which had submitted to him, to introduce garrisons into them; whilst he himself, with his army, advanced to the river Hyphasis, to subjugate the Indians beyond it. Lastly, it brought India into direct touch with the European world. However, Porus only had 4,000 mounted troops. His men had to wade across the final leg to reach the other side of the river at dawn. When Poros was ultimately captured and brought before Alexander, he was not at all broken and abashed in spirit but boldly met him as one brave man would meet another brave man after a trial of strength, and made the proud demand: Treat me, O Alexander ! It could be of joy, pain, sadness, or anything. They went so secretly that they were not observed by the sentinels posted by Porus, before they had already got beyond the island and were only a little way from the other bank.. He decided to fight Alexander on the Jhelum. Earlier it appears Porus was outflanked and his chariots got bogged down in the wet sand of the bank of the river Jhelum. Their panicked retreat could inflict heavy losses on either side. : Popular Prakashan, 1999, Heckel, W. (2012). Alexander got most of his inspirations in philosophy, scientific investigations, and medicine from his teacher Aristotle who taught him up to 16. Asiknl or Chenab) and subdued the younger Poros, nephew of the great Poros. This land also he granted to Porus to rule; and sent Taxiles back to his own abode after affecting a reconciliation between him and Porus. The best to visit is probably the one at Jandial, 1.5 km north of Sirkap. The chariots were pulled by two horses and had a driver and a soldier. All the inhabitants came over to him on terms of capitulation; and he thus took thirty-seven cities, the inhabitants of which, where they were fewest, amounted to no less than ,, and those of many numbered above ,. [19], A joint expedition was then mounted against a territory east of Chenab, ruled by an enemy cousin of Porus; he had earlier submitted to Alexander but, suspicious of Porus' rise in rank, chose to flee with his army. What is Battle of Hydaspes | Summary | Britannica Thanks a lot. This they rest upon the ground, and pressing against it with their left foot thus discharge the arrow., Curtius wrote: The sight, both of the Elephants, and Porus himself, astonied the Macedons, and caused them a while to make a stand; for the beasts being set in order amongst the armed men, shewed afar off like high Towers; and Porus himself exceeding the stature of most men, the Elephant whereupon he did ride was an addition unto his height, which excelled so much all the other Elephants, as he himself excelled the rest of men: So that Alexander beholding both Porus and his power, said, That at length he had found a Jewel equal unto his heart; for we have to do (quoth he) both with terrible Beasts, and with notable Men of War: And thereupon he looked towards Cenon, and said unto him: When I with Ptolomy, Perdicas, and Ephestion, shall set upon the left Battel of our Enemies, and you shall see us in the heat of fight, do you then set forwards my right Battel, and freshly assail them when you see them begin to fall out of order. Alexander took stock of the battle as a lesson learnt. He also instructed Tauron, the commander of the archers, to lead them on also with speed to back up the cavalry. Porus ruled over the region between the Jhelum River (Hydaspes) and the Acesines river of Punjab. His message was simple: Submit to King Alexander or be ready for war. As per Greek historian Arrian, Porus was approached by the Persian ruler Darius III for help to defend the Persian empire against the Battle with Alexander the Great. When he saw that Alexander was winning a brilliant victory he pressed on and, as his men were fresh, took over the pursuit. The infantry was behind the elephants and the cavalry was placed to cover the flanks. During that day Alexander with his infantry encamped round the city, as much of it, at least, as his phalanx could surround; for he could not with his camp completely encircle the wall, so extensive was it. In retrospect this may have been a hasty decision as a major Indian army had already been defeated and all of India was within their grasp. The archers he divided into two parts and placed them on each wing. Such a charge was based on pure force: elephants crashing into an enemy line, trampling and swinging their tusks. In some, they are glorified, and in some, they describe how much pain it leaves behind. In an accident? Moreover the Macedonians were attacking them likewise in a confined space, while the Indians were secretly creeping under the front row of waggons, and without regard to discipline were assaulting their enemy through the gaps left between the waggons as each man found a chance. The Unexplained Death of Philip Seymour Hoffman- The Beloved Actor and Oscar Winner, Guide on What Does the Bible Say About Christmas Tree. Alexander did not have to fight Abisares because the King sent his ambassadors and willingly submitted to Alexander. Porus VS Alexander The Great Who Won? These reports excited in Alexander an ardent desire to advance farther; but the spirit of the Macedonians now began to flag, when they saw the king raising one labour after another, and incurring one danger after another. [15], The battle resulted in a decisive Greek victory; however, A. The battle that ensued was fierce and bitter, with heavy losses on both sides. [Source: Arrian the Nicomedian (A.D. 92-175), Anabasis of Alexander, translated, by E. J. Chinnock, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1884, gutenberg.org]. Alexander ordered Abisares to come to him as soon as possible, threatening that unless he came he would see him arrive with his army at a place where he would not rejoice to see him. Elephants had a tendency to panic themselves: after sustaining painful wounds or when their driver was killed they would run amok, indiscriminately causing casualties as they sought escape. The soldiers were armed with javelins and with bows and arrows. [Source: Curtius Rufus, Quintus, The life and death of Alexander the Great, King of Macedon, translated by Robert Codrington (1601-1665), University of Michigan, Oxfored University, 2007-10 quod.lib.umich.edu/]. I come then to the conclusion that Alexander chose a part of the Acesines where the passage was widest, so that he might find the stream slower than elsewhere., By the fall of 326 B.C., the Macedonian arms penetrated beyond the Hydroates (Parusni or Iravati i.e., modern Ravi), and Alexander won fresh laurels by capturing Pimprama belonging to the Adraistai (Aristas of Panini). It could be a battle within himself for love, recognition, or survival. [15], A few months later, Alexander decided to accompany a strike force across the densely forested headlands and besiege Porus' defense; the base camp with substantial cavalry and infantry units was left under Craterus, who was advised to follow Alexander upon a successful passage whilst the remaining forces were distributed along the river under three phalanx officers to distract Porus' forces. Porus appears in the video game Ancient Battle: Alexander, in which he is a playable character, as well as an enemy. The other, Nikaia, meant to commemorate his victory, arose on the site of the battle with Poros. [19] Further, Omphis was reconciled with Porus. Alexander finally crossed the Jhelum about 27 kilometres upstream, making use of a thunderstorm to achieve surprise. And Alexander, accordingly, not only suffered him to govern his own kingdom as satrap under himself, but gave him also the additional territory of various independent tribes whom he subdued, a district which, it is said, contained fifteen several nations, and five thousand considerable towns, besides abundance of villages. But the fact is that Alexander never went forward and turned back after the battle. [7], Michael Witzel conjectures that Porus was a king of the Prus, a Vedic tribe, who existed as a marginal power in Punjab after their defeat in the Battle of the Ten Kings. But nevertheless even from these the Indians were forcibly driven by the phalanx of infantry. With the treaty broken thus, Poros joined the cause of Chandragupta (Sandrakottos) Maurya. Their sheer size and their terrifying appearance made them valued heavy cavalry. Battle of Hydaspes: Alexander the Great VS King Porus His cavalry was placed in the right to attack the right-wing and left-wing of Porus army while arrows were pelted on the war elephants by Alexanders horse archers. A treaty was made between the two rulers in which Seleukos ceded authority over the eastern satrapies of Aria, Arachosia, Gedrosia and the Paropanisadai and Chandragupta gave Seleukos a gift of 500 war elephants. [Source: History of Ancient India by Rama Shankar Tripathi, Professor of Ancient Indian History and Culture, Benares Hindu University, 1942]. By that time Alexander was come near unto him; who understanding the obstinacy of Porus, willed none to be spared that made resistance: whereupon every man threw their Darts against Porus, and the Footmen that stood in his defence, insomuch that at length he was so oppressed, that he began to fall from his Elephant. The resistance put up by King Porus and his men won the respect of Alexander, who asked Porus to become a Macedonian satrap.The battle is historically significant for opening up India to Greek political (Seleucid, Greco-Bactrian, Indo-Greek) and cultural influences (Greco-Buddhist art), which continued to have an impact for many centuries. Battle of Hydaspes | Summary | Britannica And feisty Porus, despite his smaller army, would not be a walkover for the mighty army of Alexander. Arrian mentions the key Battle that Alexander won over Persia in the Battle of Isus. Despite achieving so many military victories, Alexander failed to win the hearts of his subjects. [15][18], Despite the apparently one-sided results, Alexander was impressed by Porus and chose not to depose him. In the first place, the stout resistance of Poros, which is further apparent from the high casualty list, must have conveyed its own lesson to Alexander. The battle resulted in a complete Greek victory and the annexation of the Punjab, located beyond the far easternmost boundaries of the already absorbed Persian Empire, into Alexanders Empire. The Greek army was tired and unable to press home their advantage against the elephant corps and probably Alexander called off the battle and decided on a meeting with Porus. Porus was left guessing on the happenings in the army camp of Alexander as it is believed that Alexander had left a soldier dressed as the king to confuse Poruss army. Arrian says that the Battle of Hydaspes can be said to be one of the most ambitious missions of Alexander. This is the reason why we find the Greek history books appreciating this Indian king a lot. And as a counterpoise to the rule of these Indian princes, Alexander stationed adequate Greek garrisons in cities founded by himself on Indian soil. Elephants served as armor in ancient battles in Asia. B. Bosworth warns against an uncritical reading of Greek sources, who obviously exaggerated. provides the first clear and historically verifiable date in Indian history. Located in a small courtyard, the Shrine of the Double Headed Eagle boasts weathered base-reliefs of structures that look like dog houses and columns adorned with double headed eagles, hence the name. Porus also governed some additional territory of numerous independent tribes who had surrendered to Alexander. Nilakanta Sastri, Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri, Bharatiya Itihas Parishad, Published by Orient Longmans, 1992, Original from the University of California, "Actually, the legend reports a westward march of the Yadus (MBh. [Source: Arrian the Nicomedian (A.D. 92-175), Anabasis of Alexander, translated, by E. J. Chinnock, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1884, gutenberg.org], On the contrary, he caused his infantry to rest until their strength was recruited, riding along round the lines to inspect them. Porus had expected the elephant units to negate charges by Alexander's well-trained cavalry. Alexander was born in Macedonia in 356 BC, and. In the spring of 326 B.C., Alexander's army engaged King Porus' force of 35,000 infantrymen, 10,000 cavalry and 200 battle-trained elephants. So Sotion assures us he was informed by Potamon of Lesbos. [Source: Plutarch (A.D. 45-127), Life of Alexander, A.D. 75 translated by John Dryden, 1906, MIT, Online Library of Liberty, oll.libertyfund.org ], Arrian wrote: Alexander founded two cities, one where the battle took place, and the other on the spot whence he started to cross the river Hydaspes; the former he named Nicaea, after his victory over the Indians, and the latter Bucephala in memory of his horse Bucephalas, which died there, not from having been wounded by any one, but from the effects of toil and old age; for he was about thirty years old, and quite worn out with toil. It was cut off from the rest of the land by a part of the river where the water was shallow. Accordingly there ensued a great slaughter of the cavalry, cooped up as it was in a narrow space around the elephants. These cities are yet to be identified. The term Yavanikd merely denoted a curtain of Greek fabric, and other resemblances also are doubtless mostly fortuitous. At this time Phrataphernes, viceroy of Parthia and Hyrcania, came to Alexander at the head of the Thracians who had been left with him. Arrian wrote: There was in the bank of the Hydaspes, a projecting headland, where the river makes a remarkable bend. Arya Chanakya and defeat of Alexander | Encyclopedia of History Alexanders army was well disciplined and organised and was superior to the army of Porus. A two-way cultural fusion between several Indo-Greek elements especially in art, architecture, and coinage occurred in the next several hundred years. He was the ruler of Paurava, a small kingdom, lying between the Jhelum and Chenab rivers. When Alexander perceived the great number of the barbarians and the nature of their position, he drew up his forces in the order which seemed to him especially adapted to his present circumstances, and sent his horse-archers at once without any delay against them, ordering them to ride along and shoot at them from a distance; so that the Indians might not be able to make any sortie, before his army was in proper array, and that even before the battle commenced they might be wounded within their stronghold. After capturing Central Asia, Alexander moved into Pakistan from where he fought the famous Battle of the Hydaspes against the Porus. Eventually, by 317BC, Alexanders power started declining and gradually, he lost all completely. [Source: Arrian the Nicomedian (A.D. 92-175), Anabasis of Alexander, translated, by E. J. Chinnock, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1884, gutenberg.org], Plutarch wrote: On the banks of the Hyphias (now Beas) River, Alexander ordered his men to head east, the men refused. Men and women among them chose their own partners, and the women burnt themselves along with their deceased husbands. War elephants sometimes wore heavy armor. [15] Soon Porus' army was surrounded on all sides, and became easy fodder for Alexander's forces with the cavalry exterminated and most of the elephants captured. Alexander's army crossed the heavily defended river in dramatic fashion during a violent thunderstorm to meet Porus' forces. Some regard them as the prototype of tanks. Aristobulus says that the son of Porus arrived with about sixty chariots, before Alexander made his later passage from the large island, and that he could have hindered Alexanders crossing (for he made the passage with difficulty even when no one opposed him); if the Indians had leaped down from their chariots and assaulted those who first emerged from the water.