Abisares (or Abhisara; in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Ἀβισάρης), called Embisarus (Ἐμβίσαρος,) by

Diodorus Diodorus Siculus or Diodorus of Sicily (; 1st century BC) was an ancient Greek historian from Sicily. He is known for writing the monumental universal history '' Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which survive intact, b ...

, was a Kasmira king whose territory lay in the river

Hydaspes The Jhelum River is a major river in South Asia, flowing through India and Pakistan, and is the westernmost of the five major rivers of the Punjab region. It originates at Verinag and flows through the Indian-administered territory of Jammu an ...

beyond the mountains. On his death in 325 BC,

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

appointed Abisares' son as his successor.

Alexander the Great

Abisares sent embassies of submission to Alexander the Great and Alexander allowed him to retain his kingdom with considerable additions.

Onesicritus Onesicritus (; c. 360 BC – c. 290 BC), a Greek historical writer and Cynic philosopher, who accompanied Alexander the Great on his campaigns in Asia. He claimed to have been the commander of Alexander's fleet but was actually only a helmsman ...

said that Abisares had two huge snakes and Alexander had a great desire to see them.

Kingdom

Aurel Stein Sir Marc Aurel Stein, (; 26 November 1862 – 26 October 1943) was a Hungarian-born British archaeologist, primarily known for his explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia. He was also a professor at Indian universities. ...

equates the

Hazara region Hazara (Hindko: هزاره; Urdu: ), historically known as Pakhli, is a region in northern Pakistan, falling administratively within the Hazara Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It forms the northernmost portion of Sindh Sagar Doab, ...

, frequently identified as the ancient Urasa with Abhisara. However, Stein identifies the kingdom of Abhisara with the tract of the lower and middle hills between the Vitasta (

Jhelum Jhelum (; , ) is a city, located along the western bank of the Jhelum River, in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city in Punjab and 31st largest in Pakistan, by population. Located in northern Punjab, it serves as the capital of the ...

) and Chadrabhaga ( Chenab) including the state of Rajapuri ( Rajauri) in Kasmira. Old kingdom of Abhisara was basically situated in the Poonch, Rajauri and Nowshera districts of Jammu and Kashmir.Journal of Indian History, 1969, p 123, University of Kerala Dept. of History, University of Allahabad Dept. of Modern Indian History, University of Travancore, University of Kerala - India.

References

Other sources

* Smith, William (editor); ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...

'', ,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, (1867) *Waldemar Heckel: ''Who's who in the age of Alexander the Great. Prosopography of Alexander's empire''. Blackwell, Oxford 2006,
excerpt online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abisares Alexander the Great 4th-century BC Indian monarchs Year of birth unknown 325 BC deaths Bactrian and Indian Hellenistic period People associated with Alexander the Great Rulers of Kashmir

Alexander the Great

Kingdom

See also

References

Other sources