Hydaspes, battle of the (326 bc). Alexander ‘the Great’'s last major battle was fought in 326 bc by the river Hydaspes (modern Jhelum) as he advanced eastwards from Taxila to invade India. King Porus, ruler of the territory between the Jhelum and Chenab, deployed his army, which included numerous elephants, to thwart Alexander's crossing of the river, which was swollen by melting snows. For once Alexander was superior in numbers and, by splitting his army, feinting upstream and downstream, and exploiting the cover of various islands, he managed to transport part of his army across the river during a tempestuous night. Porus at once sent his son to confront him but the Indian cavalry and chariots were brushed aside and Alexander marched downstream to meet the king. Porus relied on his elephants to disrupt the Macedonian cavalry and terrify the infantry, but Alexander already had experience of dealing with them and was able to force them back into the Indian ranks. Porus' army was encircled and massacred, although Alexander's historians preferred to depict a more epic encounter with Porus holding out bravely on the royal elephant. Alexander's beloved horse Bucephalus died of wounds after the battle.
Bibliography
- Bosworth, A. B., Alexander and the East (Oxford, 1996)
— L. Michael Whitby
