We cannot Imagine India Without Elephants. Elephants have been a powerful symbol of Wealth and Power Since ancient times. Elephants are found on Harappan seals, but they were probably Wild Elephants or Baby Elephants Kept In zoos And parks. Some argue that harappan elephants were used to collect timber, but that remains special.
In Early Vedic Texts, The Elephant Is Referred To As Hasti-Mriga Or wild elephant with a hand. It was domesticated in the late Vedic Period, as the king of anga, in the brahmana texts, gifts elephants to those who perform rituals for him. Images of Elephants Appear on the gateway of the Barabar Caves in Bihar, Gifted by Maurean Kings to Ajivika ascetics.
Elephants as Symbol of Power and Sensuality
On the railings at the buddhist stupas of Sanchi and BharhutWe find the earliest images of Lakshmi, flanked by electhants who water on her as she sits on a lotus pond. Elephants were popular with merchants as they were sure-footed, live carry who could carry a lot of goods and simultanely create highways as they made their thru through dense jungles, an aquers in. Over mountain slopes.
In buddhist mythology, Buddha tames a wild elephant sent to kill him. In hindu mythologyKrishna Kills The Royal Elephant of Kamsa, Who Blocked His Path. Shiva is called gajantaka, and is depicted dancing on the head of the elephant-demon, flaying its skin alive. Shiva Then drapes the elephant-hide, Gaja-charmaAround him.
Elephants are linked with Wealth, Power and Sensuality. So, Killing an elephant was seen as an act of defiance against Royal Authority and a rejection of uncontrolled sexual energy, like an elephant in musth (unstopable sexual arousal). When aroused, elephants secrete a fluid from the temples on their forehead. This is Called madalike from which comes words mada (Intoxication, uncontrolled passion) and madira (wine).
In the udayagiri caves of odisha (dating from 100 bc), we find images of elephant herds, and elephant hunts. This was the land of gajapatis, kings with elephant armies, who fought AshvapatisKings with cavalry. In chanakya’s Artthashastra, Kings were encouraged to keep forrests where eletyphants Could Breed Beed Beed They Captured. Killing elephants were frowned in ancient India, but collecting tusks of dead elephants were rewarded.
Celestial White Elephant
A great hero of ancient Folklore was one udayana, whose music can build Elephants. A king decided to capture the skilled udayana. So, his soldiers hid themselves inside an artificial elephant made of wood and managed to get close to udayana. The story reminds us of the Greek myth of the Trojan Horse. While in the greenk story, the horse was used to get the army into the city of Troy, in the story of udayana, an artificial elephant is used to capture the elephant’s whisper.
Story Continues Below this ad
Later in the Hindu Tradition, Elephants are linked to India. In the vedic scriptures, indra is described as riding a horse-drawn, spoked wheel chaiot. In later literature, he is shown as riding a whitely elephant with multiple trunks and multiple tusks said to have churned out of the ocean of milk. This indra, know as sakra in buddhist Indian literature, bows to the buddha and danses when the jain tirthankaras are born.
This Celestial White Elephant is called Airavata. There are Such Elephants in the Cardinal and Ordinal Directions of Hindu cosmogony. They are called Dig-Gaja, or Elephants of the directions. They hold up the sky. As per one lore, the head of airavata was cut and used to revive shiva’s son. That is why the elephant headed god ganesh has a white head, especially in the eastern part of India, but the lower part is red in color, linking him to his mother parvati.
Elephants and empires
Elephants are nothing to India, unlike horses. It is the access to elephants that enabled the king of magadha to establish the earliest empire. In the Mahabharatakings who ride horses typically come from Northwest India, particularly From the punjab side, while the king who ride elephants come from Magadha side. As early as 500 bc, elephants were exported to person from where where the horses were imported. We know That 500 horses were given by chandragupta to the greenk king seleucus.
Even when the mughals came to India, they found the elephants fascinating. Although horses are more disclined and easy to manage on a battlefield and elephants can run amok, elephants have always been preferred by indian royalyty. They were used as mobile battering rams to break a fort before can to India 500 years ago, after which the Elephhant’s Role became ceremonial.
Story Continues Below this ad
What is most interesting is that although elections did exist china, escaically in the south and southwestern part, chinese emper did not like not like them as they were weld and undisciplined. They were hunted to extinction to make room for farmlands. This shows the cultural differences between china and India.
Post Read Questions
Elephants are nothing to India, unlike horses. It is the access to elephants that enabled the king of magadha to establish the earliest empire. Comment.
How did the symbolic meanings of Elephants Evolution Across Vedic, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Traditions?
Why!
Story Continues Below this ad
What Role Did Elephants Play in Warfare Before the Introduction of Cannons in India?
In What Ways Did Elephants Influence The Political Power of Kingdoms Like Magadha?
(Devdutt pattanaik is a renowned mythologist who writes on art, culture and heritage.)
Share your thoughts and ideas on Upsc specials with ashiya.parveen@indianxpress.com.
Story Continues Below this ad
Subscribe to our Upsc Newsletter and Stay updated with the news cues from the past week.
Updated to stay with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indianxpress upsc huband Follow us on Instagram and X.