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| | combatant2 = ]<br>Prasii Kingdom | | combatant2 = ]<br>Prasii Kingdom | ||
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| | commander2 = ] | | commander2 = ]<br>] | ||
| | strength1 = Unknown | | strength1 = Unknown | ||
| | strength2 = 60,000 troops<br>4,000 Elephants | | strength2 = 60,000 troops<br>4,000 Elephants | ||
Revision as of 15:32, 12 January 2025
Gangaridai was a territory that was located to the east of the Ganges river. Gangaridai occurs as the name of a group people and of a country in Greek or Latin writings. It dates of which range between 1st century BC and 2nd century AD. The Gangaridai nation is known for repelling Alexander the Great from his great Indian campaign.
| Alexander's invasion of Gangaridai | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Alexander's invasion of India | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Macedonian Empire |
Gangaridai Prasii Kingdom | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Alexander the Great |
Dhana Nanda Porus | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown |
60,000 troops 4,000 Elephants | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | None | ||||||
Background
Alexander the Great became king of Macedonia and Greece in 336 BCE at the age of 20. He brought most of the Aegean under his rule, and by 331 bce he had conquered Persia from the Persian Empire. By 328 BCE he had passed through and acquired significant portions of Central Asia from the Sogdians and Scythians. In 327 BCE his army crossed the Hindu Kush mountains into the Indian subcontinent. Most local chieftains were intimidated by the might of the Macedonian army and became allies and paid tribute to the Greeks. One of those chieftains was Omphis, the ruler of Taxila. He begged for Alexander’s protection against the powerful warlord Porus. Alexander’s army crossed the Indus River and eventually made their way to the Hydaspes, the western border of Porus’s kingdom.
Invasion of Gangaridai
As Alexander the Great pursued King Porus to the state of Paurava to the Kingdom of Gangaridai, he described the region as “a nation possessing the greatest number of elephants and the largest in size.” Most Historians say that Alexander the Great left the region in anticipation of a joint attack by the Prasii and Gangaridai Kingdoms that forced him to retreat. The invasion of the region, and subsequent withdrawal of Alexander the Great is mentioned in a number of other writings by Greek, Roman, and Bengali historians. It is also said that the wealth and might of the people he referred to as the Gangarides. It is noted that their king possessed 1,000 horses, 700 elephants and 60,000 troops, making it one of the most powerful nations of that time.
Aftermath
Upon hearing that the Bengal army had 4,000 Elephants, Alexander and his men were terrified of the large force and decided to withdraw from the region. His troops were also exhausted and homesick after a long campaign, refusing to advance further into India. Soon enough, Alexander's legendary campaigns would come to an end after his passing in Babylon June 323 BC.
References
- "Gangaridai - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- Raikar, Sanat Pai. "Battle of the Hydaspes". Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Hydaspes. Accessed 12 January 2025.
- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Porus". Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Porus. Accessed 12 January 2025.
- “The Historic State of Gangaridai.” Bangladesh.Com, www.bangladesh.com/blog/the-historic-state-of-gangaridai/. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.
- Anand, Arun. “The Bengal Conundrum: How Fearless Bengal Forced Alexander to Withdraw.” News18, News18, 3 May 2022, www.news18.com/news/opinion/the-bengal-conundrum-how-fearless-bengal-forced-alexander-to-withdraw-5099929.html.
- Marr, John S, and Charles H Calisher. “Alexander the Great and West Nile virus encephalitis.” Emerging infectious diseases vol. 9,12 (2003): 1599-603. doi:10.3201/eid0912.030288