National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

river for the cavalry attack on the Indian left flank as indicated by Arrian's text.¹³
With regard to the latter point it is of interest to observe that the present main
river bed makes a considerable bend to the north-west of Nūrpur, leaving
between it and the village of Kōt Hast (north of Bādshāhpur) a triangular
stretch of ground with its apex near the hamlet of Sikandarpur (see Skeleton
Map 1). If this bend existed already in antiquity it would make it easy to
understand why Poros did not rest his left flank on the river. For if his army
started from a place somewhere opposite Haranpur, i.e. from some point be-
tween the present towns of Malakwāl and Miānī, the direct line, as the map
shows, for an advance to meet the landed Macedonians would have kept the
Indian army away from the river anywhere near that bend.

Since we cannot locate the battle-field it is also impossible to determine the
site of Nikaia, the town which Alexander is said to have founded there to com-
memorate his victory. To the south of the river's left bank, below the point
where it may be assumed to have been reached by Alexander crossing from
Jalālpur, there are to be found the large villages of Bhagowāl, Haria, and
Bādshāhpur, at distances of 1 to 2 miles from the river, besides a number of
smaller ones. The former, of town-like appearance and numbering 700–800
closely packed houses, are all built on mounds rising well above the alluvial
plain and marking prolonged occupation. Owing to the fertile agricultural area
around them they are flourishing places; but I found no indication which would
justify even a tentative identification of any of them with the site of Nikaia.

About a mile to the east-north-east of the town of Malakwāl and at a direct
distance of some 7 miles from Nūrpur there rises near the village of Kotehra a
large and conspicuous mound, its top occupied by a much frequented ziārat
and known as Jhandīwāla Tibba. It measures at its foot some 310 yards from
north to south and about 250 yards across. Its height is over 20 feet. It has been
dug into extensively for saltpetre and manuring soil. The salt efforescence
(shōra) which covers the surface and affects all potsherds, impedes the search for
such ceramic remains as might afford some chronological indication. Nor could
I learn at the time of my visit of any coin finds. That the site is an old one is,
however, evident from the height of the mound.¹⁴ Malakwāl town, on the other
hand, appears to be a recent place, owing its relative importance to the vicinity
of the canal colonies served by the railway line for which it is the junction.

If Nikaia escapes definite location, we are in a better position as regards