Abisares (or Abhisara;
in
Greek Ἀβισάρης), called Embisarus (Ἐμβίσαρος,) by
Diodorus, was a king of
Abhira
The Abhira tribe is mentioned in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. A historical people of the same name are mentioned in the '' Periplus of the Erythraean Sea''. They are thought to be people who moved in from eastern Iran in the aftermath o ...
descent whose territory lay in the river
Hydaspes beyond the mountains. On his death in 325 Alexander appointed Abisares' son Curtis 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 said that Abisares had two huge snakes and Alexander had a great desire to see them.
Kingdom
Hazara (country), the Abisares of the Greeks, forms the North-western district of the
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
division. It was conquered by
Arjuna
Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...
. However, Stein identifies the kingdom of Abhisara with the tract of the lower and middle hills between the Vitasta (
Jhelum
Jhelum (Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for p ...
) and Chadrabhaga (
Chenab) including the state of Rajapuri (
Rajauri) in Kasmira. The kingdom of Abhisara finds reference in ancient Indian texts also. In epic times and Buddhist times, it had formed integral part of Ancient
Kamboja Mahajanapada. Old kingdom of Abhisara was basically situated in the
Poonch,
Rajauri and
Mirpur districts of
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
.
[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.]
See also
*
Taxiles
Taxiles (in Greek Tαξίλης or Ταξίλας; lived 4th century BC) was the Greek chroniclers' name for the ruler who reigned over the tract between the Indus and the Jhelum (Hydaspes) Rivers in the Punjab region at the time of Alexand ...
*
Porus
*
Cleophis
References
Other sources
*
Smith, William (editor); ''
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/ biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 ...
''
"Abisares" Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, (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