Boukephala and Nikaia

Alexandria Boukephala and Alexandria Nikaia were two cities founded by Alexander the Great during his invasion of the Indian subcontinent. Two of many cities founded by the Macedonian king, the cities were founded on either side of the Hydaspes (Jhelum River), east of the Indus River. Boukephala was founded in memory of Alexander's beloved horse Bucephalus who had died after the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC, while Nikaia was founded in celebration of that victory.

Alexandria Boukephala and Alexandria Nikaia (center right) were located on the Hydaspes river in modern Pakistan.

History

After successfully capturing Aornos (in present-day northern Pakistan) in April 326 BC, Alexander the Great crossed the Indus river to begin campaigning in northern India.

A reference to Alexandria Bucephalus may appear in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, a Buddhist text of the early centuries AD. This text refers to two cities called Ādirājya ("Place of the First Kingship") and Bhadrāśva ("Place of the Good Horse") located on the Vitastā (i.e., Hydaspes) River along the road from Gandhāra to Mathurā. The Buddhists attributed these two cities to the mythical king Mahāsammata, but some modern scholars propose to identify them as the two cities founded by Alexander the Great, Nicaea and Bucephala.[1][2]

References

Citations

Eggermont (1993), p.12
Etienne Lamotte (1988). History of Indian Buddhism: From the Origins to the Saka Era. Université catholique de Louvain, Institut orientaliste. pp. 335, 429. ISBN 978-90-6831-100-6.

Sources

Cohen, Getzel (2013). The Hellenistic Settlements in the East from Armenia and Mesopotamia to Bactria and India. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520953567. JSTOR 10.1525/j.ctt2tt96k.
Eggermont, P. H. L. (1993). Alexander's campaign in Southern Punjab. ISBN 90-6831-499-8.
Hammond, N. G. L. (1998). "Alexander's Newly-founded Cities". Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies. Duke University Press. 39: 243–269. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
Fraser, Peter M. (1996). Cities of Alexander the Great. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 6610763887.
Tarn, William Woodthorpe (1948). Alexander The Great. Vol. II: Sources and Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521225847.

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[1] Eggermont (1993), p.12

[Lamotte1988-2] Etienne Lamotte (1988). History of Indian Buddhism: From the Origins to the Saka Era. Université catholique de Louvain, Institut orientaliste. pp. 335, 429. ISBN 978-90-6831-100-6.