Rutting elephants (based on inscriptions)

We have already discussed about the rutting elephants in the previous chapter. The interesting fact about such rutting elephnats is that when the animal reaches its adolescence a sweet juice or sticky substance flows from its head. Texts mention that during this time it is the best option to induct them as war-elephants, because they became very furious. Their ferocity enables them to destroy the enemy and hence possessing such rutting elephants is indirectly seemed as a means of attaining victory. This was a very significant element for achieving victory in war as inscriptions are replete with references to the belief that falling of the rutting juice on the ground was considered as an auspicious symbol and this is also used as a metaphor in composition of verses to show that the ruler was victorius due to his possession of such rutting elephants. The army often targeted the capture of such elephants of the enemies and if not then they claim to have killed such elephants.

In fact, every king wished to kill rutting elephants of the enemies’ troop, so that the king could win the battle. The most appropriate example of this, we can find in the Kalacuri inscription of Ratanpura^[1] where it is stated that the king killed and splited heads of eighteen elephants to ensure his victory out of the prevailing conception. It is valorous to a king breaking or splitting rutting elephants, it is explained as we can see in the Dewal Praśasti of Lalla of the Chinda race, that he in every battle has written a eulogy of him on the firmament even with his sword, the tip of which is covered by the muddy ichor of his enemies’ elephants (ripugajamadapaṃka)^[2]. In the Pehoa Praśasti of the reign of Mahendrapāla says about one Jaula who conducted his relatives to highest prosperity……. Presenting, as offerings to the earth pieces cut off from the temples of the mighty elephants of his foes and his fame, that possessed splendor fair like the glittering moon, assumed the guise of the stream of heaven (Gaṅgā), since it clave to the heavenly elephants and united with the sky (v.7)^[3]. Ganapatesvaram inscription of Gaṇapati states that in the points of the horizon are spreading the moon-white creepers of fame, which have grown in the battle-fields that were flooded with the showers of the rutting juice, dripping from temples of his furious lordly elephants repeatedly ploughed by the hard hoops of (his) galloping the steeds; (and) covered^[4] with the seed of masses of pearls, dropping from the heads of the elephants of (his) enemies^[5].

Often and often mention of the rutting juice in inscriptions expressed the positive effect of it in the royal status. One of the pillar inscriptions of Eastern Cālukya chiefs at Śrīkurmam near Chicacole in the Ganjam district (Śaka samvat 1195, i.e., CE 1272) expressed the valour of the king Rājarāja (CE 1022-1063) whose elephant squad had huge mast elephants and auspicious rutting juice, trickling from their big temples created like a shower of rain on the rivers and that attest the victorious career of that very king (v.5)^[6]. Alas plates of the Yuvarāja Govindarāja II of Śaka samvat 692^[7] mentions about the king Indrarāja II whose expansive soldiers were full of graceful scratches consequent upon the strokes of the tusks of (hostile) elephants from whose cleft temples ichor trickled down (and) who destroyed (all his) enemies on earth, became, as it were, the golden mountain (Meru) of the excellent Rāṣṭrakūṭas. In this context it should be mentioned that both Buhler and Fleet connect prabhinna-karaṭa-cyutadāna with rucira, and danti-danta prahāra with ullikhita; but this course is objectionable because the word dantin occurring after dāna shows the preceding expression to be a bahuvrīhi compound and an attribute of dantin.