Reproduced from Asian Agri-History Vol. 8, No. 1, 2004 (5–25) On Elephants in Manasollasa – 1. Characteristics, Habitat, Methods of Capturing and Training Nalini Sadhale1 and Y L Nene2 1. B1, Kanakalaxmi Apartments, Street No. 6, Hardikar Bagh, Himayatnagar, Hyderabad – 500 029, Andhra Pradesh, India (email:
[email protected]) 2. Asian Agri-History Foundation, Secunderabad – 5000 009, Andhra Pradesh, India (email:
[email protected]) Abstract Hastishastra or the science dealing with elephants originated in India. Kings in ancient India maintained a separate division of manned elephants in their armies besides the foot soldiers, chariot riders, and horse riders. Capturing elephants from forests, managing them, treating their ailments, and training for various purposes formed an important activity in most kingdoms. Hastyayurvedasamhita (a manual of the science of elephant-life), a work by the sage Palakappya, is an ancient text that has been preserved in the Raja Serfoji Saraswathi Mahal Library of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The encyclopedic work, Manasollasa, or Abhilashitarthachintamani has been ascribed to the Western Chalukya King, Someshvardeva or Somadeva III, who ruled in the twelfth century AD. A large number of verses deal with elephants and their management. For the first time ever, these verses have been translated into English in this article with a discussion. This paper is the first in a series of three articles. Introduction about the science and its antiquity The word Hastishastra (a science dealing with elephants) can be translated into English as “Elephantology”. The science deals with topics like the genealogical, physical, mental and intellectual characteristics of elephants, techniques of tracing and capturing elephants from forests, nourishment for healthy growth and general upkeep, taming and training them for war and work, and diagnosis and treatment of their diseases.