Battle of Hydaspes
The Battle of Hydaspes, fought in 326 BCE, was a significant military engagement between Alexander the Great and King Porus of Pauravas, located east of the Hydaspes River (modern-day Jhelum River in Pakistan). The conflict arose when Alexander, having learned that Porus would not submit to his rule, decided to confront him. The battle was marked by Porus's formidable army, which included eighty-five war elephants, presenting a considerable challenge to Alexander's cavalry.
In a strategic maneuver, Alexander conducted a surprise attack, utilizing a feigned crossing of the river to mislead Porus and catch him off guard. Despite initial difficulties in navigating the river, Alexander's forces managed to engage and ultimately defeat Porus's troops. Alexander's tactical deployment involved targeting Porus's flanks with cavalry while his infantry worked to neutralize the elephants, leading to a rout of the Indian forces.
Following his victory, Alexander displayed a measure of respect for Porus's bravery by reinstating him as the ruler of his territory. This battle represented a crucial moment in Alexander's campaign in India and foreshadowed the challenges he would face further along his journey, culminating in a mutiny at the Hyphasis River. The Battle of Hydaspes stands out as a testament to the complexities of military strategy and the interactions between different cultures during this historic period.
Battle of Hydaspes
Related civilizations: Macedonia, India, Classical Greece.
Date: spring, 326 b.c.e.
Locale: Hydaspes (Jhelum) River, Punjab region of present northeast Pakistan and northwest India
Background
While staying at Taxila, Alexander the Great discovered that Porus, who reigned over Pauravas, east of the Hydaspes (hi-DAS-peez), did not intend to submit to him, so he marched against him.
Action
Both armies faced each other on opposite sides of the fast-flowing river. Porus’s large corps of eighty-five elephants was a major problem for Alexander’s cavalry. Alexander tricked Porus several times into thinking he was attempting to cross the river until the Indian ruler relaxed his guard. Leaving his marshal Craterus with the army in the main camp, Alexander decided on a surprise dawn attack about 17 miles (27 kilometers) upstream, which was detected. Alexander’s force reached what it thought was the opposite bank, but it was a small island. They struggled in chin-high water to the opposite bank proper, where they managed to defeat an Indian force before Porus arrived, with his elephants before him. Alexander deployed his cavalry against Porus’s wings, while his infantry wounded the elephants so as to trample the Indians underfoot, and Craterus crossed the river with the main army. The Indian army was routed; Alexander rewarded Porus’s gallantry by restoring the region to his rule.
Consequences
The battle was the high point of Alexander’s Indian campaign; his continued march to the Hyphasis (Beas) River led to a mutiny.
Bibliography
Bosworth, A. B. Conquest and Empire: The Reign of Alexander the Great. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
Dodge, Theodore Ayrault. Alexander. London: Greenhill Books, 1993.