Paurava kingdom

Origins

The Paurava kingdom lay between the Jhelum and the Chenab rivers in the Punjab, in modern Pakistan, and emerged after Achaemenid control of the region faded in the 4th century BCE. Its king, called Porus by the Greeks, perhaps from the Vedic clan name Puru, was a rival of Ambhi of the Kingdom of Taxila.

Rule and society

Greek historians describe a strong monarchy with an army of infantry, chariots and war elephants. At the Battle of the Hydaspes, the Jhelum, in 326 BCE, Porus faced Alexander with his elephants; Alexander crossed the river by surprise and won. Arrian reports that the wounded Porus, asked how he wished to be treated, answered: like a king. Little else is known of the kingdom's society.

Decline and legacy

Alexander restored Porus and enlarged his territory as far as the Beas. After Alexander's death Porus was murdered around 317 BCE by the Macedonian officer Eudemus, and his lands passed into the Maurya Empire. The meeting of Porus and Alexander became a celebrated story in both Greek and Indian memory.