Alexander the Great Study Guide: India | SparkNotes

India, in Alexander’s time, meant the land of the Indus–not
necessarily the area where the modern country of India stands.
The Greeks, who had limited knowledge of the geography of central Asia,
knew almost nothing of the Indian subcontinent or China. India,
to the Greeks, meant the area in western Pakistan, particularly
the Punjab and Sind territories.

There are several possible reasons why Alexander chose
to pursue India. Part may be simply that Persia had once possessed
parts of India, and therefore Alexander, as the new Great King,
wanted to reclaim it. As little was known about India, curiosity
was likely also a factor. Perhaps most important, India was the
end of Asia as far as Alexander knew; its acquisition was necessary
if he was to rule the entire continent.

The invasion of India began in the summer of 327 B.C.
Alexander proceeded as he had in his Persian conquest, vanquishing
city by city. Many cities surrendered without a fight; those that
did not were usually massacred without mercy. Alexander soon gained
the support of Ambhi, the ruler of Attock. Alexander and his troops rested
for a couple of months in the capital city of Taxiles as they prepared
to meet Ambhi’s enemy, Porus.

In response to Alexander’s request that he submit, Porus
assembled his army and prepared to meet Alexander on the bank of
the Hydaspes River. When Alexander arrived, he found that Porus
had the fords guarded with elephants, which made a crossing impossible.
Moreover, whenever Alexander moved along the river, Porus mirrored
him on the opposite side. To confuse his foe, Alexander divided
his army into several units and spread them along the bank. This
splitting up also gave Alexander a chance to search for other possible
fords farther down; indeed, a suitable one was found seventeen
miles upstream. The question was whether Alexander could keep Porus
from following him all the way to that crossing point.

Once again Alexander devised a plan to confuse his enemy.
For several nights, he sent the cavalry to various spots along
the bank and instructed them to make noise and raise war cries.
Porus, of course, followed them the first few times, but eventually
stopped responding to Alexander’s bluffs. On the night planned
for the attack, Alexander divided the troops into three groups.
One would remain in the original spot to keep Porus off guard,
while a second group prepared for a crossing that would take place
only if Alexander succeeded in clearing the fords. Alexander himself
led the third group, consisting of about 15,000 infantry and 5,500
cavalry. Porus sent an initial group of about 2,000 cavalry, led
by his son, to attack the Macedonians while they were crossing and
to drive them back into the river. However, the Indians did not
make it in time to have the early advantage, and Alexander easily
defeated the troops.

Porus was therefore forced to march against Alexander
with full force, leaving only a small detachment to face the second
crossing group. The fact that Porus’s front line consisted entirely
of elephants prevented Alexander from using his cavalry, as the
horses would not charge in face of the elephants. Once again, Alexander succeeded
with a brilliant strategy. He kept a segment of his cavalry hidden,
allowing Porus to think that he was winning. When Porus advanced
to exploit Alexander’s apparent weakness, the hidden cavalry emerged
and caused confusion among the already exposed Indians. The battle
culminated in the surrounding of the Indians, and Porus was finally
prevailed upon to surrender. The victory had not been easy, however.
The Macedonians were particularly troubled about the elephants,
which had brutally trampled and mangled their soldiers. Nevertheless,
it was Alexander’s last major battle and one of his greatest.

Alexander allowed Porus to continue his rule–a decision
likely motivated by Alexander’s recognition that he was running
out of resources to maintain a strong presence at every corner
of his territory. Nevertheless, Alexander’s thirst was not quenched,
and he wanted to press farther, though his next opponent, the Nanda empire,
would have been very formidable. Alexander’s troops had other plans,
however, and talks of mutiny abounded. The troops had been away
for eight years and marched over 17,000 miles. The elephants had
been especially demoralizing, especially since it was reported
that Nanda possessed about 4,000 of them. Alexander offered every
possible incentive and bribe, but even his chief officers sympathized
with the men. One senior officer, Coenus, finally rose to speak
on behalf of the men, and Alexander finally recognized that a rebellion
led by a popular man like Coenus was an alarming possibility.

Alexander, therefore, he was finally prevailed upon to
turn around and head home, though he never forgave his men and
officers. He was convinced that he could have conquered the entire world
if his men had not turned their backs on him. Furthermore, he showed
no apparent gratitude for their service and dedication. He purposely
took a difficult journey home that required constant skirmishes
with unconquered Indian provinces. Alexander’s armies finally left
India by sea in September 325 B.C.

Some sources have exaggerated Alexander’s success, particularly in
his domain over India. In reality, Alexander’s influence in the area
was limited. Porus was essentially an independent ruler, though
formally he derived power from Alexander. Moreover, Alexander did
not have the resources to hold India in line, and by 317 B.C. all
traces of Macedonian power had essentially disappeared. Nevertheless,
Alexander had led a great expedition to unfamiliar territory, and
he had conquered it as effectively as he had conquered the rest
of Asia.