Hydaspes battlefield
Where Alexander of Macedon defeated King Porus on the Jhelum (Greek: Hydaspes) in 326 BCE.
The battlefield of the Hydaspes, where Alexander of Macedon defeated Porus in 326 BCE, lies somewhere on the Jhelum river, the Greek Hydaspes, below the Salt Range. Most scholars place the crossing near Jalalpur Sharif and the battle on the plain near Mong, on the left bank.
Alexander founded two cities on the battlefield: Nicaea, 'victory', and Bucephala, named after his horse, who died here.
Nothing visible remains of the battle. The plain is farmland now, and the river still floods every summer as it did in Alexander's time.
People
Crossed the Indus in 326 BCE, defeated Porus, and turned back at the Beas when his army refused to go on. He was badly wounded storming a Malli town, probably near Multan.
King of the Pauravas between the Jhelum and Chenab, who met Alexander at the Hydaspes with war elephants and, defeated, was restored to his throne.
Battles
On the timeline
The battle of the Hydaspes
A plan, 326 BCEScroll sideways to see the whole figure →
- 1
Leaving Craterus at the camp to feign a crossing, Alexander marches about 27 km upstream by night, in a storm.
- 2
He crosses at a wooded island on skin floats and boats.
- 3
Porus's son rides to stop him; his chariots stick in the mud, and he is killed.
- 4
Alexander's cavalry strike the Indian left wing while Coenus's squadrons ride round behind and take the Indian cavalry in the rear.
- 5
The phalanx meets the elephants head on, and Porus's army is crushed between: the 'hammer and anvil'.
- When
- May 326 BCE
- Armies
- Alexander perhaps 40,000; Porus 20,000 to 50,000, with 85 to 200 elephants
- After
- Porus, captured, asked to be treated "as a king". Alexander gave him back his kingdom, and more.