Battle of the Hydaspes 326 BC
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 326 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | Pakistan | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Indian campaign of Alexander the Great | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Gandhara, League of Corinth, Macedonian Empire, Pauravas | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 32.8278, 73.6389 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of the Hydaspes also known as Battle of Jhelum, or First Battle of Jhelum, was fought between the Macedonian Empire under Alexander the Great and the Pauravas under Porus in May of 326 BC. It took place on the banks of the Hydaspes River in what is now the Punjab province of Pakistan, as part of Alexander's Indian campaign. In what was possibly their most costly engagement, the Macedonian army secured a decisive victory over the Pauravas and captured Porus. Large areas of Punjab were subsequently absorbed into the Macedonian Empire; Alexander spared Porus and made him a satrap, effectively reinstating him as the region's ruler.
Despite close surveillance by the Pauravas, Alexander's decision to cross the monsoon-swollen Hydaspes to catch Porus' army in the flank has been called one of his "masterpieces" in combat. The Macedonians' engagement with the Indians at Hydaspes remains a very significant historical event during the Wars of Alexander the Great, as it resulted in the exposure of Greek political and cultural influences to the Indian subcontinent, which would continue to affect Greeks and Indians for centuries to come.
After the battle, Alexander continued his eastward march into modern-day India, intending to cross the Ganges River.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of the Hydaspes (revision 1370600276), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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