RAS question
Alexander invaded India in:
Correct answer: (A) 326 BCE.
Alexander invaded India in 326 BCE, when he entered the north-west and received the surrender of Taxila's ruler Ambhi before moving further east.
Explanation
The answer is 326 BCE because Alexander entered north-western India that year. Encyclopaedia Britannica records that, when Alexander invaded India in 326 BCE, Ambhi, the ruler of Taxila, surrendered the city and put his resources at Alexander's disposal. Alexander then crossed the Indus and defeated Porus, also called Purushottama, at the Battle of Hydaspes near the Jhelum, but his army refused to advance beyond the Beas. He appointed satraps and then turned back. The campaign briefly linked north-western India with the Mediterranean world, and later Greek accounts preserved useful observations about Indian society.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) 1000 BCE is far too early; Alexander's invasion of India took place in 326 BCE.
- (C) 100 CE is after Alexander's campaign, while his Indian invasion dates to 326 BCE.
- (D) 500 CE is centuries after Alexander's campaign and cannot match an invasion that took place in 326 BCE.
Concept
This tests the Ancient Indian History chronology of Alexander's invasion and its immediate north-western Indian context. It recurs in RAS because it connects political chronology, Indo-Greek contact, and the background to Mauryan consolidation.