Battle of the Hydaspes in the context of "Craterus"

The Indian campaign of Alexander the Great began in 327 BC and lasted until 325 BC. After conquering the Achaemenid Persian Empire, the Macedonian army undertook an expedition into the Indus Valley of Northwestern Indian subcontinent. Within two years, Alexander expanded the Macedonian Empire, a kingdom closely linked to the broader Greek world, to include Gandhara and the Indus Valley of Punjab and Sindh (now in India and Pakistan), surpassing the earlier frontiers established by the Persian Achaemenid conquest.

Following Macedon's absorption of Gandhara (a former Persian satrapy), including the city of Taxila, Alexander and his troops advanced into Punjab, where they were confronted by Porus, the regional Indian king. In 326 BC, Alexander defeated Porus and the Pauravas during the Battle of the Hydaspes, but that engagement was possibly the Macedonians' most costly battle.

Jhelum or Jehlum (/ˈdʒiːləm/; Punjabi / Urdu: جہلم) is a city along the western bank of the Jhelum River in Punjab, Pakistan. Located in northern Punjab, it is the capital of the Jhelum District. The city is often referred to as the "City of Soldiers" or "Land of Martyrs and Warriors" due to the inclusion of many soldiers from the area in the British Indian Army and later, the Pakistan Armed Forces, owing to the categorization of the Punjabi tribes as a 'martial race'.

Jhelum is a few miles upstream from the site of the ancient Battle of the Hydaspes between the armies of Alexander III of Macedon and Porus. The location of the modern city of Jhelum could possibly have been the capital of Porus' Kingdom, Paurava. A city called Bucephala was founded nearby to commemorate the death of Alexander's horse, Bucephalus. Other notable areas nearby include the 16th-century Rohtas Fort, the Tilla Jogian complex of ancient temples, and the 16th-century Grand Trunk Road, which passes through the city. According to the 2023 Pakistani Census, the population of Jhelum was 312,426. There are a number of industries in and around Jhelum, including a tobacco factory, wood, marble, glass and flour mills.

Porus or Puru (Ancient Greek: Πῶρος Pôros; fl. 326–321 BC) was an ancient Indian king whose territory spanned the region between the Jhelum River (Hydaspes) and Chenab River (Acesines) in the Punjab region. He is only mentioned in Greek sources.Said to be a warrior with exceptional skills, Porus unsuccessfully fought against Alexander the Great in the Battle of the Hydaspes (326 BC). Alexander spared his life and not only reinstated him as his satrap but also granted him dominion over lands to the south-east extending as far as the Hyphasis (Beas). Porus reportedly died sometime between 321 and 315 BC.

Bucephalus (/bjuː.ˈsɛ.fə.ləs/; Ancient Greek: Βουκεφᾰ́λᾱς, romanized: Boukephalas; c. 355 BC – June 326 BC) or Bucephalas, was the horse of Alexander the Great, and one of the most famous horses of classical antiquity. According to the Alexander Romance (1.15), the name "Bucephalus" literally means "ox-headed" (from βοῦς and κεφᾰλή), and supposedly comes from a brand (or scar) on the thigh of the horse that looked like an ox's head.

Ancient historical accounts state that Bucephalus's breed was that of the "best Thessalian strain", and that he died in what is now Punjab, Pakistan, after the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC. Alexander was so grieved at the loss of his horse that he named one of the many cities he founded after him, as Alexandria Bucephalus.

Boukephala (Ancient Greek: Βουκεφάλα) and Nikaia (Νίκαια) were two cities founded by Alexander the Great on either side of the Hydaspes (modern-day Jhelum River, Pakistan) during his invasion of the Indian subcontinent. The cities, two of many founded by Alexander, were built shortly after his victory over the Indian king Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes in early 326 BC.

It is not certain which settlement had which name. Built on the site of the battlefield, the city on the eastern bank was most likely called Nikaia (from nike, lit. 'victory'), while its western companion was probably named after Alexander's horse Bucephalus, who died during or after the battle. Their construction was supervised by Craterus, one of Alexander's leading generals. Both cities initially suffered from the rains of the South Asian monsoon. Boukephala seems to have had a more distinguished legacy than Nikaia: mentioned by Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy, it appears in the 1st-century AD Periplus Maris Erythraei manuscript and on the later Tabula Peutingeriana map. The cities' precise locations are unknown, but it is considered likely that Boukephala was located in the vicinity of modern Jalalpur and that Nikaia was across the river near present-day Mong.