MEDALLION OF ALEXANDER - Fake/Authentic?

----- Arun Nigudkar


Alexander the Great is the first foreign invader of India. This is the first recorded invasion dating back to 326 BC, and consequently then Puru’s war becomes the first war to preserve independence. Many recorded events actually point out that it was Puru or Porus who turned out to be the winner and not Alexander. So have Historians and History books made an error?

The British Museum has a magnificent elephant medallion depicting Alexander’s victory over Puru.It was thought that this medallion to be the only one of its kind. But soon a few more coins depicting the said Puru Alexander battle displaying the same incident were found elsewhere, differing in size, finish, and mint quality. These were Silver Coins too, having no similarity to either the facial features of Alexander or Puru. The British Coin showed an elephant, a mounted soldier and a Greek pursuer, charging them on a horse. The reverse side carried Alexander with a thunderbolt in his left hand.

The mystery is who brought this medallion here? And why do historians not accept this coin as genuine?

One it does not carry any message of Alexander the Great imprinted on the occasion of his victory over Porus at Taxila or at Karri, the battle field. Two, neither a scripted inscription in either Greek, Macedonian, Sanskrit or Brahmi is on the coin in the British Museum or other similar coins found .

Based on the writings of Arrian Plutarch & Curtius, Dr. Saifur Rahman Dar and Dr. Ahmed Hassan Dani (both Pakistani Archaeologists of world repute) excavated the Bhir mound - Taxila (Ambhi’s Kingdom) for similar Coins or medallions on Alexander. They found 495 coins of Bactrian –Greek origin but none of Alexanders journey to and back from Taxila..

It was one more point to raise doubt on the credibility of the medallion at the British museum, and those found elsewhere. From where then had this British coin come? And how was it assigned as being that from the era of Alexander? British records show that it is the Oxus treasure coin which came to England in 1887 via Afghanistan, then India and entrusted to the British Museum for safe preservation.

Percy Gardner, a Historian, examined the coin. He researched it thoroughly and found out that it was minted at the time of victory celebration of Greek Bactrian King over Yuchi Mongols. The museum accepted this version and made necessary changes in their catalogue. Hence since the possession of this artifact of Indian origin, till 1926, none had ever thought it to be or related it to Alexander or Porus.

In 1926, Sir John Francis Hill once again observed the coin and stated that the dress worn by the figure with a thunderbolt to be a victory coin of Alexander The British museum promptly accepted it and made the changes in their records.

Shri Parmeshwari Lal Gupta has written a world famous book on coins and expressed his doubt about the credibility of it.What is true then? Historical facts as researched by me are as follows. The period of stay of Alexander in India is 18 months
1. Alexander stayed at Taxila; between Feb. 326 and June 326 BC (Arrian , Curtus, Plutarch)
2. He fought one day war on the Karri battle ground, just 100 miles away from Taxila on Jhelum River.
3. His army consisted 6000 foot soldiers, 5000 horsemen and reserve force of another 5000 totaling about 17000 as against 50000 of Porus.
4. The battle ground was formed of quartz, a hard semi precious white stone 5 x 5 miles girdled by Karri hill.
5. The Greeks on the opposite bank of Jhelum were on the soft black soil, which became muddy and slippery because of heavy rains and inundated waters that formed whirlpools due to boulders rumbled down the slope and stuck in deep waters.(14 to 30 ft deep)
6. This was too dangerous and the Greeks had to walk towards Haranpur (Northern Bank) for 17 miles and for 26 hours.
7. The weary soldiers were starved for two days and had no will to enter into battle with Indians, awaiting them for 5 months and fresh ever under their king Puru.

Alexander the Great lost his battle against Puru on the Karri battlefield in the first week of July 326 BC and took one year to reach Makran coast(Sindh) He left India on 25th Oct, 325 BC, reached Babylon in April 323BC, died in June 323 BC . He was slow-poisoned over12 days, Commander John Grieve, Forensic expert of the Scotland Yard, excavated Alexanders grave in Alexandria (Egypt). He further researched on for 5years on the skull and skeleton of Alexander using all modern techniques --- DNA, X-RAY, C-14,Chemical analysis & Facial reconstruction.This supported the theory of his defeat and his being poisoned. All these facts lay doubt to the very existence of a victory coin. If Alexander lost the battle why would he mint victory coins?

References

● Taxila and the Western Word
- Dr.Saifur Rahaman Dar

● Invasion of Alexander the Great
- J W M’ Crindle (1896)

● Alexander’s Track to the Indus
- M.A. Stain

● Alexander the Great
- John Gunther

● Alexander’s Campaign on the North West frontiers
- Ibid

● Alexander the Great
- W.W. Tarn

● Alexander the Great
- G.T. Griffith
(The Main Problems 1966)

● Alexander’s Indian Compaign

● Taxila to Hydaspes (Appendix D)

● The Greek Map of the battle of Hydaspes (BC 326)

● Alexander did he really Win ?
- P.N. Phadke

● Alexander the Great
- S.L. Bodhankar

● Alexander the Great
- Arjandass Malik

● Alexander the Great
- Curtius

● Alexander the Great
- Diodorus

● Alexander the Great
- G.N. Pant

● Alexander the Great
- Plutarch

● Coins : Ch. III Pg. No. 23 : Coin of Alexander found in India silver coin of Elephant
Alexander and Porus
- Parmeshwarilal Gupta

● Historical Geography of India : Pg. No. 55, Ch. VI : Ancient trade route Puru 6.1
Communities of Rigvedic times Pg. 71 (Greek) Pg. 82 Rajmarg 120 Foot.
- Dr. Dinkar Mukund Wagh.

● Who Killed Alexander : Two episodes on Discovery
- Commander John Grieave.

● Dr. Saifur Rahaman Dar
“Between the Indus and the Hydapes (Jhelum) is Taxila a large city and government by good law. The surrounding country is thickly populated and extremely fertile as the mountains here begin to subside into the Plains. The inhabitants and king Taxsiles (Ambhi) received Alexander with kindness and in return came by more than they bestowed so that the Macedonians were jealous and said, it appeared as if Alexander had found none worthy of his bounty until he had crossed the Indus”

● Arjundas Malik
“During the days of Darins I of Persia the Indian satrapies of Kabul, Gandhara (Peshawar & Kandhar) Hindu Kush with its capital formed part of Achaemenian Empire, but at the time of Darius III, those satrapies had however become independent. Although Indian did figure in the Greek concept of the known world, it was conceived as a peninsula south of Hindu Kush comprising only the Indus basin beyond, was supported to be the ocean surrounded the world. To them India west of north Pakistan did not exist nor were Greeks aware of any other part of Asia outside Persian domains. Both Aristotle and Alexander believed that ocean was visible from the Hindu Kush and further Alexander considered Indus to be the source of the Nile.”

● F. A. Wright
“Nine Hundred miles down the Indus took nine months and involved hard fighting and then came march through Gedrosian desert the most terrific Journeys that any army has ever attempted.”

● John Gunther
“Alexander had received a terrible wound in the breast and then as he tells a Mallian stabbed him in the neck Alexander had almost died. An arrow had plunged into his chest and its head broken off became lodged between the bones of his ribs. To get it out was a frightful job and the pain almost killed him. For a long period he was too week to move and the roumers spread that he had died.”

● Nearchus – Admiral of Alexander
“As soon as the armies of Alexander reached the lower Sindh, then they had to face the stiff opposition of the Brahman republics. Iranians also to face similar opposition earlier (519 BC)”
Narchus further admits that because of the population Alexander was faced to leave sindh, very soon.

● Arrian
“When the Macedonian army of about 11000 men after surmounting all difficulties of the passage ultimately found itself on the mainland it entered a considerable plain of the firm soil, known as KARRI girdled by low hills on the north and east. This plain at its widest part, is about 5 miles broad and affords a sufficient though not excessive space for the battle. The river at the crossing place runs over quartz boulders and still existing island larger than the rest corresponds closely with that described by the Greek historians as the place on which Alexander first landed. (Ger Abbott 1848)”

● Plutarch
“The battle with porus depressed the spirit of Macedonians and made them unwilling to advance further in India."