When Emperor Alexander of Greece was storming towards India the political situation here was dismal. Entire land of Bharat was divided in small kingdoms or fiefdoms. The rulers of those lands were petty minded debaucheds who envied each other. Over a trifle matters they raided each other’s lands. Quarrelsome by nature they found pleasure in humiliating the opponents.
Ever were they engaged in running down one another or hatching diabolic conspiracies to ruin the rivals. To feed their ego they could stoop to any low level.
The situation was very favourable for the alien invader Emperor Alexander.
At that point of time Taxila was the centre of learning in India. It was in the kingdom called Gandhar which was situated between Sindhu and Jhelum rivers. Taxila was its capital but the University of Taxila existed as an autonomous institution near it. The royals of the entire land used to come there for education and higher learning without any discrimination.
Taxila university was the pride of Gandhar kingdom and its ruler satisfied with the honour it gained for his state. But the king of neighbourhood state of Kaikya was not happy at the respect and glory Gandhar enjoyed. Its ruler King Puru was a very ambitious person. He wanted to conquer other nearby states to create an empire for himself. His first target was Gandhar.
At the behest of Puru his chief minister Indradutta got his spies at work in Gandhar that did not suspect any such move. The spies infiltrated deep into Gandhar administration and bought important people with money, sex and blackmail. The main target was Gandhar army chief who had lost his wife and lived a lonely life. With girls he was won over. Soon Taxila was in the vice grip of enemy spies. They even began to control public life from the principal temple of Taxila. Prostitutes of Kaikya were dictating the lives of Gandhar big wigs.
Gandhar army chief was badly under the control of a girl named Kanupriya who infact was Kaikya spy. A fake astrologer was hired to convince the army chief that Kanupriya infact was his dead wife reborn. The chief Singhanada spent most of his time with the spy girl neglecting his duties.
Other commanders and officials were also in various traps set up by the spies. The administration got thoroughly corrupted.
When the spies had done ground work minister Indradutta confided to the king that the game had been set. Accordingly Kaikya commander was asked to invade Gandhar and seize control of it. He was told about the work spies had done in detail. The Kaikya army marched into Gandhar in a planned move.
Gandhar King had never expected such deceit from his neighbour. He had been himself busy making merry in regal splendour and basking in the glory of Taxila University. When he learnt about the invasion of the Kingdom by Kaikya army he could do nothing except lament. But he did ask for his army chief to see if someting still could be done to repel the enemy. The army chief would not be coming any sooner because he was tied up with his beloved spy girl of Kaikya. The girl was briefed about the attack and she was ordered to keep the army chief specially busy on that day. The other bought up commanders and officials also played their expected roles. Some were down with some fake illness while others had preferred to be away on hunting trips.
Without much bloodshed Gandhar fell to Kaikya army. The king had to accept the subordination of King Puru of Kaikya. There was no alternative. Puru would only allow to let Gandhar king retain his crown as his appointee otherwise the vanquisher would deal death to the vanquished or imprisonment. To make it acceptable deal on surface and console citizens of Gandhar, King Puru called it ‘Friendship Arrangement’.
Gandhar king really felt that he had got an honourable deal from Puru. Officially they called the arrangement ‘Treaty of Friendship’. He promised Puru that he would remain a loyal friend and the victor was offered higher seat of honour to show due respect. In some way the king felt grateful to Puru for his magnanimity.
But his son Prince Ambhi was not happy with the treaty. Infact he hated it and thought it was a document of humiliation and insult to Gandhar. The way his father acted like a servant before Puru angered him. Ambhi took a vow to avenge the humiliation of Gandhar by Puru in whatever way possible.
Prince Ambhi seethed all the time and cursed Puru. The rise of Kaikya made him feel jealous and angrier with King Puru. His mind always thought of ways he could settle scores with treacherous Puru. A psychopathic dislike Ambhi had grown for the neighbour. The die was cast.
