Depiction of Elephants in Indian Art
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Journal of History, Art and Archaeology Vol. 1, No. 1, 2021, pp. 75-82 © ARF India. All Right Reserved URL: www.arfjournals.com DEPICTION OF ELEPHANTS IN INDIAN ART Niharika Chief Editor, ‘Arnava’ Research Journal, Arnava Research Institute, Sarnath, Varanasi-221007, E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Received : 26 March 2021 Art in India is a way of thinking and a way of expressing emotions, thoughts Revised : 05 April 2021 and beliefs. It is a great medium of spreading messages to the contemporary Accepted : 12 April 2021 people as well as to the people of coming generations. In Indian art the motifs Published : 3 May 2021 are chosen and used very wisely and it gives a deep meaning to the whole scene. Elephants are very popular motif in Indian art. This huge animal with its majestic trunk and tiny tail gives a vast sky to the imagination of the artist TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: to fly and create many beautiful art piece. This depiction of elephant can be Niharika. 2021. Depiction of seen from the pre-historic period till date in various mediums like stone, mud, Elephants in Indian Art. Journal of metal, conch, ivory, wood, jute, glass, plastic and what not? The present History, Art and Archaeology, 1: 1, pp. paper deals with such depictions of elephants from the remote past to modern 75-82 times. The examples taken here show some unusual types of depiction that catches the eyes. Their religious and social values in India are also discussed. Keywords: Elephant, Bhimbetka, Ashoka, Bharhut, Deogarh, Mamallapuram Introduction betterment of his subject. This is the reason that we In India, art has been accepted as a means of human get examples of art in all forms and mediums like compassion, personal or collective expression, as architecture, sculpture, paintings, and objects of well as a means of giving expressions to social, day today life as weapons, implements, pots, cloths, religious, spiritual and artistic status and thinking. ornaments, coins etc. made of stone, metal, mud The aim of art in India is religious and spiritual or terracotta, wood, bamboo, colour and what not? along with the beautiful presentation of king’s The art of India is mostly religious in its thoughts bravery, religious and social activities for the and is never aimless. Each example of art represents 76 Journal of History, Art and Archaeology the deep thinking of not only the artist or artisan in Brahmanical rituals (Prathama Pujya) Ekdant who had made it but also of the king or the person Gajānan, with curved trunk (Vakratunḍa), the huge who desired to get it done, his spiritual or religious bodied (Mahākāya) Ganesha, is also very popular gurus, his advisors or ministers and his family too; in the art. In Hindu mythology he provides good because most of the times the artist or artisan was fortune and security. Lord Ganesha is the best only a person who was giving shape to their desire example of harmony between nature and human and imagination with his expertise in that particular kind. White coloured elephant, named Airavata is field. The examples of art can well be seen since the known as Indra’s vehicle. It was found from the Prehistoric period. The rock shelters of Bhimbetka churning of ocean by the Devas and Asuras along and Panchmarhi in Madhya Pradesh have beautiful with other jewels like poison, nectar, soma, surā, paintings.These were discovered by V. S. Wakankar Kaustubhamaṇi, Dhanvantari, the Pārijāt tree, the and are now listed in World Heritage Sites by horse named as Uchchaishravā etc. The importance UNESCO and are considered to be at least 10,000 of elephant can be derived with the thought that he is years old (Mathpal, 1984:220). considered as mount of Indra who is King of Devas. Nature has been an important component in Thus it is also associated with royalty. According Indian art. A variety of forms of nature have always to the Puranas the sovereign kings possess seven been used to sculpt human sentiments, faiths and jewels such as discuss (chakra), chariot (ratha) beliefs. From nature itself, human beings have learnt jewels (ratna), queen (Rāni), treasure (nidhi), to coordinate. He has accepted that human beings, horse (aśwa), and elephant (hasti).The Suddasana who are most powerful, most clever and wise, and Sutta of Dῑghnikāya and the Mandhātā Avadāna of thus often considers themselves as Supreme, are just Divyāvadāna includes elephant with other jewels as petty beings, exiguous and powerless before nature. ideal for a sovereign king. The strength and power By the disclosure of a variety of its diverse forms, of this animal has made it an important part of it has always astonished and awestruck humans. wars also; though it is not sure that it was used in Animals, birds, insects, trees and other vegetations wars in the Vedic period. The first example of its along with human beings are all parts of nature. use in war is obtained from the war between Porus The man has made a very beautiful, accurate, well- and Alexander in 326 BCE. A coin showing Porus thought and well-proportionate use of nature as a riding a horse and Alexander riding an elephant is paradigm of art. He has chosen elephant as an art- exhibited in the British Museum, London. Many pattern, which is very important and popular at scholars consider the elephant riding King as being the same time. Hinduism one of the oldest living Ambhi. The elephants were an important section of religion of the world is deeply rooted in minds and a King’s army as chaturanginisenā (four fold army souls of the people of India. But other religions like consisting of elephant corps, chariots, foot soldiers Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam and cavalry). We find depiction of such kings with Zoroastrianism, etc are also popular in this country elephant in early Buddhist art especially on the early and art associated with these religions are also found. plaques of Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda (Gupta: Different people of different races, languages, 1983: 6). According to Gupta “One should not forget religions and traditions practiced religion in their that here, the concept of the elephant as a jewel of own ways and these often find expression in their chakravartin is not of an ordinary elephant but of art. a celestial one which brings luck and abundance to The importance of elephant in India is religiously the king and his kingdom” (Gupta, 1983, 6).White and spiritually unprecedented. According to the elephant was the subject of great honour for kings cosmology of ancient India, the Earth is pinned over of South Asian countries.The Siamese tradition four elephants in four directions and the earthquakes believed it to bring happiness to the king and his occur because of their shaking. The importance of kingdom. The kings of Siam and Cambodia, Pegu the elephant headed deity (Hastimukha) Ganesha and Laos waged several wars for the possession of is well known. The first deity to be worshipped white elephants. Such elephants were given royal Niharika : Depiction of Elephants in Indian Art 77 treatment like food in gold or silver vessels and in the house and brings good luck. While the statue were covered with velvet cloth. Their illness was of the elephant with his trunk hanging down is said to treated by royal physician and servants if suspected increase positive energy and removes all obstacles; for their death were sentenced to death. The white wisdom, power and progeny are achieved. The huge elephant is considered to be a symbol of good fate size of the elephants, its temperament, intelligence, in Thailand and Burma. Not only in Kerala province sharp vision, strength, the trunk, the large ears, and of India, but there is also a religious procession in the various gestures of this majestic animal have Sri Lanka, in which the elephants march in religious inspired artists from centuries. The paintings of processions. They are equally considered auspicious elephants can be seen at prehistoric rock shelters of in all religions like Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain and Bhimbetka, Pachmarhi, Lakhudiyar, etc. (Fig.8.1 A are used in their processions. and B) in India and also in Africa. Elephants are considered to be carriers of good The impressive size of the elephants, like a destiny, intellect, progeny and security in India. large canvas, provides a wide range to expand the Placing the statue of elephant with up-lifted trunk in artist’s imagination. We have so many examples of the house is said to increase flow of positive energy decorated figures of this animal live or in artworks. Figure 8.1A: Bhimetka Figure 8.1B: Pachmarhi Figure 8.2A: Pashupati Seal obtained from Mohenjodaro Figure 8.2B: Seal obtained from Harappa 78 Journal of History, Art and Archaeology The initial depiction of elephants is found on the a great saint or a great sovereign king will take seals received from Harappan, Mohanjodaro and birth (Trainer, 2004: 24-5). Thus, the elephant other Harappan sites; where he has been pictured represents Lord Buddha himself. The lion capital, with the Pashupati (nomenclature by John Marshall, built by Ashoka at Sarnath (located in Varanasi), 1931), tiger, deer and rhinoceros. Thus, the initial the site of Dharmachakra enforcement (first date of the depiction of elephants can be accepted preaching of laws) by Lord Buddha shows four approximately 2500 BCE. Similarly, there are lions sitting back-to-back and roaring pleasantly. independent representation of elephant too (Fig.8.2 They are sitting on a round abacus. This abacus A and B). is carved with four wheels of twenty-four spokes In the Mauryan period art received extensive alternating with four animals representing the patronage, especially under King Ashoka.