The Invasion of India by Alexander the Great as described by Arrian, Q. Curtius, Diodoros, Plutarch and Justin: Being Translations of such portions of the Works of these and other Classical Authors as describe Alexander's Campaigns in Afghanistan, the Panjâb, Sindh, Gedrosia and KarmaniaMcCrindle, John Watson
History
The Invasion of India by Alexander the Great as described by Arrian, Q. Curtius, Diodoros, Plutarch and Justin: Being Translations of such portions of the Works of these and other Classical Authors as describe Alexander's Campaigns in Afghanistan, the Panjâb, Sindh, Gedrosia and Karmania
McCrindle, John Watson
Alexander, the Great, 356 B.C.-323 B.C.; India -- History -- To 324 B.C. -- Sources
Sir E. H. Bunbury, referring to the uncertainty of the identifications of
the tribes and cities of the Panjâb mentioned by Alexander’s historians,
says: “While the general course of his march must have followed
approximately the same line of route that has been frequented in all ages
from the banks of the Indus to those of the Beas, his expeditions against
the various warlike tribes that refused submission to his arms led him
into frequent excursions to the right and left of his main direction. And
with regard to these localities we have a general clue to guide us. The
most important of these sites to determine would be that of Sangala, the
capital of the Cathaeans, which, according to the narrative of Arrian,
was situated between the Hydraotes and the Hyphasis. Hence it was placed
by Burnes at Lahore, and by others at Umritsir. But on the other hand
there are not wanting strong reasons for identifying Sangala with the
Sakala of Indian writers, and this was certainly situated to the west
of the Hydraotes, between that river and the Acesines” (_Hist. of Anc.
Geog._ pp. 444, 445). This was the view of General Cunningham, who,
taking _Śâkala_ or _Sâkala_ (the _Sagala_ of Ptolemy’s _Geography_) to
be the name in Sanskrit of the place which the Greeks called _Sangala_,
found a site for it at Sânglawâla-Tiba, a small rocky hill with ruins
upon it and with a large swamp at its base, and situated between the
Râvi (Hydraôtês) and the Chenâb (Akesinês) at a distance of about sixty
miles to the west of Lahore. This was no doubt the site of the Śâkala
of Sanskrit writers and of the She-kie-lo of the Chinese pilgrim Hwen
Thsiang, who visited the place in 630 A.D. But it cannot have been the
site of the Sangala of the Greeks, for, in the first place, according to
the testimony of all the historians, that city lay between the Hydraôtês
and the Hyphasis, and was attacked by Alexander after he had crossed the
former river. To meet this objection Cunningham assumes that Alexander
must have recrossed the Hydraôtês on hearing that the Kathaians had risen
in his rear. His thus turning aside from the direction of his march to
make his rear secure is quite consistent with his usual practice, but
the historians say nothing from which it can possibly be inferred that
on this occasion he made any retrograde movement. But again philology as
well as history is adverse to this identification, for, as has lately
been shown by M. Sylvain Lévi (_Journal Asiatique_, series viii. vol. xv.
pp. 237-239), _Sangala_, in accordance with the rules of transcription,
must be taken to represent not _Sâkala_, but _Sâmkala_. Now, just as in
Diodôros and Curtius we find Sangala mentioned in connection with a king
called Sôphytês, so in an Appendix to Pânini’s _Grammar_, called the
Gana-pâtha, _Sâmkala_ is mentioned in connection with _Saubhuta_, which,
in accordance with the rules of transcription and the Greek practice of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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