326 BC. Alexander the Great, undefeated for years, clashed with King Porus of India on the mighty Hydaspes River. Imagine the scene: Macedonian phalanxes against Indian war elephants! It was a brutal fight, a Macedonian victory, but at a heavy cost. King Porus' fearless resistance, especially those elephants, left a deep impression on Alexander. Realizing his overstretched army had hit its wall, Alexander, for the first time ever, decided to turn back west. The Battle of the Hydaspes wasn't his final fight, but it marked the end of his eastward expansion and a turning point in his legendary conquests.
