User:Marwat21

Alexander's the greats Indian Compain

Gohar Ayub Khan (www.goharayubkhan.com) The writer was former speaker and foreign minister of Pakistan.

Alexander divided his army in two before entering India. The main bulk of the army he placed under the command of his generals Perdiccas and Hephastion, which came down following the river Kabul, captured the capital Peuceloatis (Charsada). Went on to Hund to build a bridge over the Indus and await the arrival of Alexander. He entered India in early 326 B.C.

A smaller portion of the army he led himself with generals Perdiccus and Hephaestion. Followed the river Kunar and turned east to enter Dir, Swat, Buner and then joined the Macedonian army on the Indus at Hund.

Arrian of Nicomedia writing nearly 500 years after Alexander describes Aornos thus”. This is a mighty mass of rock in that part of the country, and a report is current concerning is that even Herakles, the son of Zeus, had found it to be impregnable. Now whether the Theban, or the Tyrian, or the Egyptian Herakles penetrated so far as to the Indians. I can neither positively affirm nor deny, but I incline to think that he did not penetrate so far, for we know how common it is for men when speaking of things that are difficult to magnify the difficulty by declaring that it would baffle even Herakles himself. And in the case of this rock my own conviction is that Herakles was mentioned to make the story of its capture all the more wonderful. It was ascended by a single path cut by the hand of man, yet difficult.

Alexander on learning these particulars was seized with on ardent desire to capture this mountain also, the story current about Herkles not being the least of the incentives. Pir Sar a natural mountain fastness lies on the right bank of the river Indus opposite Thakot and approx four miles West as the crow flies from the town which is on the left bank. Pir Sar is at an altitude of 7100 feet above sea level. The height and circuit of Aornos give by Arrian was 6600 feet above sea level and circuit of 22 miles, whilst Diodorus put the height at 9600 feet, circuit at 11 miles.

Arrian, here as elsewhere our chief authority for all that concerns the great conquerors campaign tells us that on hearing of the fall of Ora, the other Assakenoi, i.e. the people of Swat, all left their towns and fled to the Rock in that country.

Sir Aurel Stien of the Indian Archeological Survey of Indian was granted permission by the Wali of Swat Miangul Gul Shahzada Sir Abdul Wadood to explore Pir Sar on the Indus. He was gived an escort and porters and started out from Saidu Sharif capital of Swat and reached Pir Sar at 9p.m on 26 April, 1926 A.D.

Aurel Stein on his way to Pir Sar from Saidu Sharif found the Karorai Pass 6400 feet above sea level covered with fresh snow and the Shilkai Pass at 9400 feet above sea level covered with four to five feet of snow on 22 April 326.B.C which had to be trampled by labourers to allow Steins party to cross over the pass. Going up towards Pir Sar Stein was told the name of a mountain by a guide Una-Sar. He it seems came to the conclusion that he was near Aornos as it sounded close to Una. Una peak is at height of 8721 feet.

On the morning of 27 April 1926 after arriving at Pir Sar the very first thing Aurel Stein states. The violent gusts of wind that shook my little tent during the night of my arrival on Pir Sar left but a poor chance of sleep before I rose next morning at day break. The icy blasts blowing down the Indus from the snow covered ranges of Kohistan, comparatively so near, made it difficult to enjoy the view. It was the same throughout the three days that we spent on this exposed height. Sir Aurel Stein and his party were extremely uncomfortable on Pir Sar despite the fact that they were very well equipped to ward off the cold. Fugitives from Swat would have died in droves during early March to mid April on Pir Sar from extreme cold winds, exposure and snow on the ground and the lack of supplies. It is inconceivable that Fugitives in thousands who left upper Swat would all have gone to Pir Sar the top of which is approx one mile long and three hundred yards wide. They would not have been able to take their animals to such a height for mere lack of fodder and deep snow in end Feb-mid April 326 B.C. A very old Gujjar who had fought the British at Ambela Pass in 1862 was carried up to meet Stein. On Alexander they had never heard having come to this region but had been told by their elders that Pir Sar had been the summer residence of Raja Sirkap, who otherwise lived below at the village of Sarkul on the Indus opposite Thakot.

The exposure and fatigue to which the men had been subjected during those happy days on the height of Aornos and the marches to and from it obliged me to make a two days’ halt at Chakesar. It felt warm enough down there at an elevation of less than 4000 feet.

Arrian mentions that after operations in Swat valley over Alexander proceeded to take the capital city of Peukelaotis (Charsada). Incidentally is was already in control of the Macedonians.

Had Alexander come down to attack Peukelelaotis (Charsada) he would then on his way to Aornos (Pir Sar) have met up with his army at Hund on Indus. It just not make sence that Alexander comes down South from Swat to Penukelaotis (Charsada) then goes close to his army near Hund, then up North to Aornos (Pir Sar) along the Indus.

Arrian describes how Alexander had trees cut to fill up a gully to enable him to be in level with Pir Sar to attack the fugitives. On the fourth day the fugitives agreed to abandon the heights and disperse. Whilst they were in the process Alexander leading seven hundred of his soldiers clambered up to Pir Sar and killed many whilst some died falling off the cliffs. Where Herakles had failed, Alexander was master of Aornos.

From Pir Sar, Arrian mentions that the brother of Assakenos had taken refuge in the mountains with elephants and host of neigh bouring barbarians (region of central Buner). The brother and locals had fled to Abisares, i.e to the ruler of Hazara. Alexander followed along the Barundu river meeting the Indus. Finding timber, ships were built and taken down the river to where other portion of the army was. What was the need to build ship and waste time. The army could have marched to Hund in maximum six encampments (days). Diodorus tells us the king arrived at the Indus and finding it bridged gave his army a rest of thirty days before crossing to the left bank. (The period could be month of April 326 B.C. He wrote about Alexander nearly 300 years after his death.)

Ptolemy who was active in the fighting, writing to his tutor Aristotle describes his part in the attack on Aornos and mentions it to be the largest of the cities in the area. He states that it was over twenty miles in circumference and located at a height of eight thousand feet. A mound and a dike were built, battering rams used to make a breach in the walls after which the army poured in. Two hundred and fifty thousand oxen were taken, the best to be sent to Macedonia to improve the stock and plough.

He makes no mention of a rock fatness but of a city. Such number of oxen in these parts cannot be found. Further they are small and weak.

Professor Tucci who had done extensive excavation in Swat during the 60’s claims after extensive study that Pir Sar is unlikely to be Aornos and favours Mount Ilam, 9200 feet above sea level in Buner overlooking the Karakar Pass, 4350 feet above sea level to be Aornos. Mount Ilam has been a sacred spot for Hindus since centuries. They even today go to the top worship.

Here again the question arises as to how fugitives from the Swat valley would survive for nearly over a month in open snow over six to eight feet deep.

It is obvious that Arrian and Diodorus were not familiar with the geography or topography of the region. It seems that Alexander did not go to Pir Sar (Aornos). Despite world wide acceptance of Pir Sar as Aorons, there is a need not to close the matter but to further explore the actual location of Aornos other than Pir Sar.