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Review key Alexander the Great: Invasion of India & Battle of the Hydaspes exam facts and rate your mastery to track revision.
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#1
Alexander III of Macedon crossed the Hindu Kush and invaded the northwestern Indian subcontinent in the spring of 326 BCE.
#2
King Ambhi of Taxila offered surrender and logistical assistance to Alexander, seeking an alliance against his rival King Porus.
#3
The Battle of the Hydaspes was fought on the banks of the Jhelum River in 326 BCE between Alexander and King Porus of the Paurava Kingdom.
#4
Alexander utilized night-time river crossings upstream and cavalry envelopment to counteract the defensive formation of Porus's 200 war elephants.
#5
Following Porus's surrender, Alexander restored Porus to his throne and granted him administrative dominion over newly subjugated neighbouring lands.
#6
Alexander founded the twin cities of Nicaea to celebrate his victory and Bucephala to memorialize his warhorse Bucephalus who died after the battle.
#7
The Macedonian advance ceased at the Hyphasis River (modern Beas) when soldiers mutinied, refusing to march against the formidable Nanda Empire.
#8
General Coenus acted as the principal spokesman for the mutinous Macedonian troops, persuading Alexander to begin a planned withdrawal southward.
#9
Before retreating, Alexander erected twelve monumental stone altars dedicated to Olympian deities on the banks of the Beas River to mark his limits.
#10
Alexander suffered a severe lung puncture wound during the assault on the citadel of the Malli (Malavas) along the lower Indus River valley.
#11
Alexander commanded Admiral Nearchus to lead a naval exploration fleet from the Indus delta through the Persian Gulf to the Euphrates River.
#12
Alexander divided his northwest Indian territories into satrapies governed by Macedonian officers like Peithon and Indian allies like Ambhi and Porus.
#13
Alexander died in Babylon in June 323 BCE at age 32, triggering the Partition of Babylon and the Wars of the Diadochi among his successor generals.
#14
The power vacuum left by Alexander's departure and death facilitated Chandragupta Maurya's overthrow of the Nandas and annexation of northwestern satrapies.
#15
The invasion opened direct overland and maritime communication routes between India and the Mediterranean, stimulating Greco-Buddhist Gandhara art.
Subject Specialist Commentary
Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board
In 326 BCE, Alexander of Macedon invaded northwestern India after conquering the Persian Empire. His most famous engagement was the Battle of the Hydaspes along the Jhelum River against King Porus. Despite facing Porus's formidable war elephants, Alexander secured victory through night river crossings and cavalry maneuvers. Impressed by Porus's courage, Alexander restored him as a regional ruler before his mutinous soldiers halted at the Beas River, refusing to march against the Nanda Empire.
In competitive history exams, students must track ancient river names: Hydaspes is the Jhelum, while Hyphasis is the Beas River where Alexander's army stopped. A recurring prelims trap claims Alexander met Chandragupta Maurya or crossed the Ganges; his troops mutinied at the Beas, forcing a retreat down the Indus. For revision, remember that Alexander's death in 323 BCE left an administrative power vacuum that accelerated Chandragupta Maurya's rise to power.
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