Background
After Alexander defeated the last of the Achaemenid Empire's forces under Bessus and Spitamenes in 328 BC, he began a new campaign to further extend his empire towards India 327 BC. Alexander's army is estimated at about 6,000. Depending on the sources, Alexander was outnumbered somewhere from 3:1 to 5:1.
The main train went into modern day Pakistan through the Khyber Pass, but a smaller force under the personal command of Alexander went through the northern route, taking the fortress of Aornos (modern day Pir-Sar, Pakistan) on the way, a place of high mythological significance to the Greeks, as, according to legend, Herakles had failed to occupy it, when he had campaigned to India. In early spring of the next year, he combined his forces and allied with Taxiles (also Ambhi), the King of Taxila, against his neighbor, the King of Hydaspes.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of The Hydaspes
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