Indian Antiquary Vol 61

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 207

OCTOBER, 1932)
ALEXANDER'S PASSAGE OF THE JHELUM
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torrent bed joining the river. Within less than a mile there passes a northern branch of the Jhelum known as Halkiwani Nala, carrying much water at the time of the summer floods. Jalalpur marks the south-western corner of a boldly projecting spur of the Salt Rango, which for a distance of some eight miles higher up falls off steeply to tho river washing its foot. Nowhere else along its course after debouching from the mountains does the Jhelum touch ground which could possibly be described as a headland or promontory.
Here at Jalalpur we have a conspicuous headland at a marked bend of the river. There is & winding torrent bed wide enough at its sides to afford room for collecting troops, and with bold hillocks rising on either flank such as would effectively screen preparations for an intended crossing. The Kandar Kas corresponds thus exactly to the præalta fossa, or deep ravine, mentioned by Curtius. There are large trees and bushes growing on the ground on either side of its mouth. And—what deserves special notice there is a large island stretching down from prosite this mouth between the Halkiwani branch and the present main river bed farther south.
This island, now occupied in patches by fields of the Admana hamlet, measures in length close on five milos. It is subject to inundation in years of heavy floods and therefore abandoned for the most part to jungle growth of high scrub and trees, just as Curtius describes the “island larger than the rest, wooded and suitable for concealing" Alexander's boats and rafts on their passage.
The accord between the topography of the Jelalpur ground and the classical account of the river passage is thus striking enough. But what in my bolief definitely locates Alexan. der's crossing place at Jalalpur is the combined historical and archæological evidence fortunately now available as regards the route which is the most likely to have brought the great conqueror through the Salt Range down to the river.
Below the route which leads down from the Salt Range to Jhelum town, and which the Emperor Sher Shah's great fortress at Rohtas guarded, there is no route that can come into consideration in this connexion until we get to the one which debouches at Jalalpur and which has led to the erroneous location there of Alexander's main camp. But farther down thero are several passes which an invader crossing the Salt Range from the side of the Peshawar Valley and Taxila could have conveniently used.
The Pass of Nandana. Among these passes there is one that figures very significantly in the accounts of the earliest of the invasions after Alexander's of which we have any details. It is the pass of Nandana, repeatedly mentioned, along with the stronghold that guarded it, in connexion with the campaigns of the famous Muhammadan invader of India, Mahmud of Ghazna. As rightly observed by Mr. W. S. Talbot in his “Gazetteer of the Jhelum District" (1905), the holder of the Nandana hill " had the absolute command of what is one of the most obvious routes across the (Salt) Range.” The descent through the Nandana pass would bring the invader to the right bank of the Jhelum close to the large village of Haranpur, and the distance from there to Jalalpur, as measured along the present main road, keeping well away from the river, is about seventeen miles, just as Arrian's account indicates it between Alexander's camp on the river and the headland where his crossing took place. Thus topography and antiquarian facts in close agreement lead us to Jalalpur as the site of that successful achievement.
It is on the absolutely open and flat plain which stretches south of the left bank of the river all the way down from Jalalpur to opposite Haranpur that we must look for the field of battle. But its exact position cannot be determined, since we are not told the distance at which Poros's main force was encountered from the place of landing. Nor can we definitely indicate the site of Nikaia, the town which Alexander founded where he gained his victory.
We are in a better position as regards Boukephala, the town founded by Alexander at the place where Boukephalos, his favourite charger, died. Strabo distinctly puts it at the point where Alexander embarked for his passage. We may hence safely locate Boukephala at Jalalpur.