1923. ] Why did noi Alexander cross the Beas ? 367 
in war and lived under an excellent system of internal govern- 
ment.’! Curtius and Diodorus inform us that of all the nations 
beyond the Hyphasis the Gangaridae and the Prasi who dwelt 
on the farther banks of the Ganges were the most powerful. 
It was reported to Alexander that their king Agrammes (or 
Xandrammes) kept in the field for guarding the approaches to 
his country 20,000 cavalry and 200,000 infantry besides 2,000 
four-horsed chariots, and, what was most formidable force 
of all, a troop of elephants which he said ran up to the 
number of 3000.2 This information was secured from Phe- 
geus,* King of a nation near the Hyphasis who had submitted 
to the invader. We are told that Alexander at first con- 
sidered this information incredible and was only convinced 
when the Pauravan monarch assured him, that as far as the 
strength of the nation and kingdom was considered, there was 
no exaggeration in the reports. But why should Alexander 
who with an army one-third its present strength had crushed 
with ease the forces of Persia a million strong, distrust these 
statements and hesitate to oppose a king whose army after all 
was composed barely of two and a half lakhs of combatants. 
The point is cleared by the following statement of Plutarch.# 
‘The battle with Poros depressed the spirits of the Mace- 
We are further told by the same authority that ‘ the 
Kings of the Gandaritai and the Praisai® were reported to be 
waiting for him with an army of 80,000 horse 200,000 foot 
8,000 war chariots and 6,000 fighting elephants. Nor was this 
an exaggeration for not long afterwards Androkottas who had 
by that time mounted the throne, presented Seleukos with 
500 elephants and overran and subdued the whole of India 
with an army of 600,000 men’.’ These statements are 
Mm perfect harmony with what the Puranas say about the 
strength and power of Ugrasena Mahapadma and his family.’ 


* McCrindle’s Ancient India, its invasion by Alexander p. 121, 
? Ibid, pp. 221-22 and 281-82. According to Diodorus the number 
of elephants were 4,000. : : 
° Dr. Sylvain Levi proposes to read it Phegelas which he —— 
terates by the Sanskrit word Bhagala Ibid p. 221 and p. 401; Journa 
Asiatique for 1890, p. 239. 
* McCrindles Ancient India, its invasion by Alexander p. 310. 
5 McCrindle has pointed out that the name of the river should be 
H yphasis, Ibid, p. 310 n. ; 
; Cc and Dd, pp. 364-56. 3 Ibid, p. 310, 
’ Pargiter, Kali Age, pp. 23-26; Carmichael Lectures, 1918, pp. 84-86. 
