‘Alexander’s invasion’ and facts thereof

‘Alexander’s invasion’ and facts thereof

https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2018/10/alexanders-invasion-and-facts-thereof.html

It is very pathetic to note that the countrymen of this Aryavartha do have subtle interest to know both the greatness and grandeur of their own country which is the greatest among the great of the world. We have least interest to know about our past. We don’t care to know about the pseudo historians who thrusted in our minds all the fictions and concoctions and the fables and parables of the West with a view to depicting them mighty by courage, scientifically wise and intellectually brilliant ignoring even a minuscule achievement of any ancient Indian Acharya. In the process they are so abominable to purposefully ignore the valor and knighthood of great people like (Porus) Purushottham who was also called as pourav Raj or Parvateshwar, who confronted Alexander( Who was conferred ‘The Great’ by the pseudo Historians) and defeated him in the battle.

Though my thinking is hypothetical, you may feel, with all the yearning I am attempting to write, that a few at least evince a little Interest to read this article and know about the great knights of the soil, of whom Purushottham is one.

Contrary to what Western historians made us to believe that mighty Alexander conquered the border kingdoms of India, he failed utterly in his India invasion. This is the truth behind Battle of Hydaspes (The battle took place on the east bank of the Hydaspes River, as called by ancient Greeks. 

(The river Vitastā (Sanskrit: वितस्ता) in Rigveda is termed as Hydaspes by the ancient Greeks and is mentioned as one of the major rivers by the Holy Scriptures — the Rigveda, which is now familiar to us as Jhelum). (Jhelum River, is a tributary of the Indus River, what is now the Punjab Province of Pakistan.) The war took place on the banks of Jhelum between Alexander and Porus.

Alexander’s invasion of India is regarded as a huge Western victory against the disorganised East. But according to Marshal Georgy Zhukov, the sturdy Macedonian army suffered a fate, worse than Napoleon in Russia.

In 326 BC a formidable European army invaded India, led by Alexander. It comprised battle hardened Macedonian soldiers, Greek cavalry, Balkan fighters and Persian allies. The total number of fighting men numbered more than 41,000. Their most memorable clash was at the Battle of Hydaspes or The Battle at the River Jhelum against the army of Porus, the ruler of the Paurava kingdom of western Punjab. For more than 25 centuries it was believed that Alexander’s forces defeated the Indians. Greek and Roman accounts say the Indians were outwit by the superior courage and stature of the Macedonians.

Two millennia later, British historians latched on to the Alexander legend and described the campaign as the triumph of the organised West against the chaotic East. Although Alexander defeated only a few minor kingdoms in India’s northwest, in the view of many gleeful colonial writers the conquest of India was complete.

In reality much of the country was not even known to the Greeks. So handing victory to Alexander is like describing Hitler as the conqueror of Russia because the Germans advanced up to Stalingrad.

In 1957, while addressing the cadets of the Indian Military Academy-Dehra Dun, Zhukov said Alexander’s actions after the Battle of Hydaspes suggest he had suffered an outright defeat. In Zhukov’s view, Alexander had suffered a greater setback in India than Napoleon in Russia. Napoleon had invaded Russia with 600,000 troops; of these only 30,000 survived, and of that number fewer than 1,000 were ever able to return to duty.

So if Zhukov was comparing Alexander’s campaign in India to Napoleon’s disaster, the Macedonians and Greeks must have retreated in an equally ignominious fashion. Zhukov would know a fleeing force if he saw one; he had chased the German Army over 2000 km from Stalingrad to Berlin.

Alexander’s troubles began as soon as he crossed the Indian border. He first faced resistance in the Kunar, Swat, Buner and Peshawar valleys where the Aspasioi and Assakenoi, known in Hindu texts as Ashvayana and Ashvakayana (Rathamulu), stopped his advance. Although small by Indian standards, they were very tiny kingdoms, they did not submit before Alexander’s killing machine.

The Assakenoi offered stubborn resistance from their mountain strongholds of Massaga, Bazira and Ora. The bloody fighting at Massaga was a prelude to what awaited Alexander in India. On the first day after bitter fighting the Macedonians and Greeks were forced to retreat with heavy losses. Alexander himself was seriously wounded in the ankle. On the fourth day the king of Massaga was killed but the city refused to surrender. The command of the army went to his old mother, which brought the entire women of the area into the fighting.

Realising that his plans to storm India were going down at its very gates, Alexander called for a truce. That night when the citizens of Massaga had gone off to sleep after their celebrations, Alexander’s troops entered the city and massacred the entire citizenry. A similar slaughter then followed at Ora.

However, the fierce resistance put up by the Indian defenders had reduced the strength – and perhaps the confidence – of the Alexander’s army. In his entire conquering career Alexander’s hardest encounter was the Battle of Hydaspes, in which he faced king Porus, a small but prosperous Indian kingdom on the river Jhelum. Porus is described in Greek accounts as standing seven feet tall.

To be continued………….

   ‘Alexander’s invasion’ and facts thereof-Part-2

 Ambhi the ruler of the neighbouring kingdom Taxila, who was a rival of Porus, had offered to help Alexander on condition that he would be given the kingdom of Porus.

In May 326 BCE, the European and Paurava armies faced each other across the banks of the Jhelum. By all accounts it was an awe-inspiring spectacle. The 34,000 Macedonian infantry and 7000 Greek cavalry and the extra army bolstered by the Indian king Ambhi however did not fructify.

Facing this tumultuous force led by the genius of Alexander was the Paurava army of 20,000 infantry, 2000 cavalry and 200 war elephants. Being a comparatively small kingdom by Indian standards, Paurava couldn’t have maintained such a large standing army, so it’s likely many of its defenders were hastily armed civilians. Also, the Greeks habitually exaggerated enemy strength.

The elephants of Porus, and the two meter bows of pourava infantry with massive arrows which could transfix more than one enemy soldiers.

The sarissas used by the Greek though pierced into some elephants the beasts got wild and could create havoc added to the phenomenal damage to the enemies created by the above referred bows and arrows. [The sarissa or sarisa (Greek: σάρισα) was a long spear or pike about 4–6 meters (13–20 ft.) (Here the troops of Alexander were said to have used sarissas of 17 feet length.), in length. It was introduced by Philip II of Macedon and was used in his Macedonian phalanxes as a replacement for the earlier dory, which was considerably shorter.]

The terrified Macedonians were left with no option but to push themselves back in the battle. These elephant fleet and the archery was new to the enemies.

In the process of the battle Porus’s brother Amar was successful in killing Alexander’s favorite horse which forced Alexander to dismount. In all the combats the Greek soldiers were successful in not allowing their enemy like Amar to penetrate so much and cause damage to their side. They never allowed to even to leave a scratch on their king’s body. Not only this, but the Indian army killed Nicaea who was one of his leading commanders.

According to the Roman Historian Marcus Justinus, Porus challenged Alexander who charged him on horseback.  In the ensuing duel Alexander fell of his horse and was at the mercy of Porus. However Porus dithered, and the bodyguards of Alexander rushed in, to save their king.

Plutarch the Greek historian and biographer, says there seems nothing wrong with the Indian morale. Despite initial setbacks when their vaunted chariots got stuck in the mud, Porus’s army “rallied and kept the Macedonians with unsurpassable bravery.” Although the Greeks claim Victory the fanatical resistance put up by Indian soldiers and ordinary people everywhere had shaken the nerves of the Alexander’s army to the core. They refused to move further east. Alexander’s all efforts were futile to enthuse his soldiers. “The army was close to mutiny. The combat with Porus took the edge of the Macedonians’ courage and staid their further progress into India. For having found it hard to defeat the farther kingdoms and hence determined to go back against the will and wish of their king.” says Plutarch. He also adds “To the other side of Ganges where Magadha kingdom was situated and ruled by Dhananand was a very big empire with Cavalry, elephants, chariots and infantry in abundance. The soldiers when came to know that Nanda was waiting with 2,00,000 infantry 80,000 cavalry, 8000 war chariots and 6,000 fighting elephants. Undoubtedly Alexander’s army would have walked into a slaughter house. Hence far away from the Indian heartland Alexander ordered a retreat enabling a great jubilation among his soldiers. On the way back Alexander’s army was harried by Indian partisans, republics and kingdoms. In a campaign at Sangala in Punjab they faced a ferocious attack from the local Royals and the destruction of Alexander’s army was so devastating.

Alexander was forced to attack them by bare feet. In the next battle with the Malavs of Multan, Alexander was felled by a warrior’s arrow that pierced into his breastplate and ribs.

Military History Magazine says “Although there was much fighting, Alexander’s wound put an end to any more personal exploits. Lung tissue never fully recovered, and the thick scarring in its place made every breath very miserable. Alexander never recovered from the wound and died in Babylon which is now in the present day Iraq at a young age of 33.

It is for you now to decide whether we have to regret or feel great for him to lose life for adamance.

Thus the people of Northern-Indian Plains (Punjab) resisted the great army of Alexander and successfully halted his so far unchecked advance resulting in the end of his campaign and life.

Swasti.