Alexander the Great and the Indian king Porus fought a famous battle in 326 BCE known as the:

In 326 BCE, Alexander the Great fought the Indian king Porus (Puru) in the Battle of the Hydaspes.

About the battle:

• It was fought on the banks of the river Hydaspes, the Greek name of the Jhelum, in present-day Punjab, Pakistan.
• Porus ruled the region between the Jhelum and the Chenab.
• Porus had a large army, including war elephants, while Alexander had experienced cavalry and infantry.
• It was fought during the monsoon, when the river was in flood.
• Alexander crossed the river at night, at a point some distance upstream, surprising Porus.
• In the battle, Porus fought bravely, though he was wounded, but his army was defeated.
• According to Greek accounts, when Porus was brought before Alexander and asked how he wished to be treated, he replied, "As a king treats a king".
• Alexander was impressed by his courage, and gave him back his kingdom, and even added more territory to it.
• The battle is said to have been one of Alexander's most difficult victories.

After the battle:

• Alexander founded two cities near the battlefield: Nicaea (to mark the victory) and Bucephala (named after his horse Bucephalus, which died around that time).
• Alexander advanced up to the Beas river (Hyphasis), but his tired soldiers refused to go further.
• He then returned through the Indus valley and Balochistan.

Results of Alexander's invasion:

• It opened routes between India and the West, and increased contacts with the Greek world.
• Greek writers left accounts of India, which help historians.
• It weakened the small states of the north-west, which helped the rise of the Mauryan empire.

Other battles of Alexander:

Battle of the Granicus (334 BCE), Battle of Issus (333 BCE) and Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE): his victories over the Persian king Darius III.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Gaugamela, Issus and the Granicus were Alexander's battles against the Persians.