#indianepic

Present day Kadambur is divided into 2 villages - Melkadambur and Keezhkadambur (roughly translated as upper and lower).

Ancient Kadambur was ruled by the Sambuvarayar Kings. Sambuvarayar Kings ruled Thondaimandalam that in present day consists of Vellore, Thiruvannamalai, Kanchipuram, Cuddalore, Thiruvallur, Nellore and Chithoor. Padaiveedu was their capital. They were vassal reigns under the Chola Kings Rajadhiraja Chola II and Kulathonga Chola III.

Battle of Hydaspes - Alexander's trail in India

When Alexander arrived in 327 BCE, the North-West of the larger Indian Sub-continent was peppered with a number of provinces. Some indulged in long and bitter fighting, while some easily surrendered. For example, the walled city of Astes, which was the stronghold of the Assakenoi (Ashvakayanas) faced Alexander on the battleground. Another important mention is that of Alexander's siege of the hill fort of Aornos, which according to the Greek Tradition, even Greek God Heracles has been unable to take.

One of Alexander's more famous encounters was with Ambhi, the King of Taxila. The encounter finds a mention in the 1st century Greek Literature. It describes how Omphis (Ambhi) whose kingdom extended from the Indus to the Hydaspes (Jhelum), reached out to Alexander and extended a hand of friendship in exchange of 650 elephants and 3000 bulls.

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Battle of Hydaspes - Background

Alexander inherited the throne of the small kingdom of Macedonia, which the Greeks viewed as Barbaric, at the age of 20 after his father Phillip II was assassinated in 336 BCE. Phillip had been ambitious but he was clearly even more so for his son. Before he breathed his last, he is believed to have said to Alexander "Carve for yourself another kingdom, because the one I leave for you is too small". Alexander took his father's words to heart.

Before the 4th Century, Macedonia was a small kingdom outside of the area dominated by the city-states of Athens, Sparta and Thebes. But even these city-states couldn't match the heights of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Stretching from the Balkans and Eastern Europe in the west to the Indus Valley in the east, it was larger than any previous empire in history.

But the young and ambitious Alexander wasn't daunted and he led an army against the Persian ruler Darius III and decisively defeated him in 331 BCE. Next he turned towards the Eastern Provinces of the Persian Empire. After establishing a series of outposts in Afghanistan, he ventured further into the sub continent.... his eyes were leading him towards India.

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In every age, Ravana changes form — a whisper here, a screen there. Tonight, fire meets truth again.

🔥 Burn the Ravana Within – Vol. 2 (Shadow) 🎬 Premieres 7:30 PM IST

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