Which area did Alexander grant to King Porus (Pururaj)?
- ABetween the Beas and the Jhelum
- BBetween the Indus and the Jhelum
- CBetween the Ravi and the Jhelum
- DBetween the Jhelum and the Chenab
Show answer and explanation
Correct answers: (a) Between the Beas and the Jhelum or (c) Between the Ravi and the Jhelum
Explanation
After defeating Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes (Jhelum) in 326 BCE, Alexander was impressed by his courage. Asked how he wished to be treated, Porus is said to have replied "like a king". Alexander gave him back his kingdom, between the Jhelum and the Chenab, and added more land to it.
As Alexander marched east, he handed the lands he took beyond the Chenab, up to the Ravi, to Porus. When his army refused to go beyond the Beas (Hyphasis), he left Porus in charge of the whole region from the Jhelum to the Beas.
Alexander never reached the Ganga plain: his tired soldiers, who also feared the power of the Nanda Empire, refused to march on. Ambhi, the king of Taxila, had sided with Alexander.
The book's key is (c), the land between the Ravi and the Jhelum. According to Arrian, Alexander finally gave Porus all the land from the Jhelum to the Beas, so (a) is also accepted.