ALEXANDER’S MARCH TOWARDS INDIA
Alexander’s March towards India began after he had conquered
Persia and established almost complete control over Asia Minor. The most turning point in
Alexander’s further march towards other
territories occurred when he won the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE), also known
as the Battle of Abela. This led to the
great invasion of the Persian Achaemenid Empire which covered a vast area even
outside Persia.
By
the time of the above-mentioned victory Alexander had come to know the fall of Cyrus the Great (600-530 BCE), Persian
King Darius I (Died 487 B.C.), Darius
II, the king of the Persian empire (Dies 404 BC in Babylonia) and Darius III ,
called Codomannus by the Greeks.
Darius III was the last king of the
Achaemenid Empire of Persia from 336 BC to 330 B.C.
Achaemenid Empire also extended up
to several parts of India including Gandhara and Sind which should be
comprehended as “Indus Valley”; and the territories of the north-west of the
Kashmir valley.
The facts
relating to the Achaemenid Empire in India are confirmed by the depictions
including those of Indian soldiers at
Naqsh-e-Rostan on the tombs of Darius I, II and III.
The Persian rulers used the Indian
soldiers and other logistics in the wars fought by them outside India.
The Indian kings under their control
were called satraps, literally meaning a provincial governor or a subordinate
local ruler. However, Indian histories
gave them a better name and called them vice-regents.
It is uncontroversial that during
the Achaemenid Empire, Indian territories which formed parts of this empire, progressed
a good deal as far as public welfare,
law and order and justice are concerned.
What is pertinent for us is the
arrival of Alexander in India at this period of
ancient history (327 BC – 326 BC).
As we have already
stated , Indian kings like Ambhi Kumar of Gandhara behaved unpatriotically and
instead of facing the aggressor with the human and military force at his command stretched a friendly and
supportive hand to Alexander. In this embarrassing
situation, it was Maharaja Porus, the true Kshtriya Sabharwal, who challenged the
indomitable Alexander and fought a
battle whose final result regarding who won and who lost the battle of Jhelum is
still controversial. However, we
whole-heartedly salute Maharaja Porus
for abiding by the qualities of a brave king
and according to his kingly dharma expected
of a true Kshtriya.
No comments:
Post a Comment