Capturing of elephants in battle-field

Capturing of elephants of the enemies in the battle field was very often occurring. The Hathigumpha inscription says about the captured goods from the different conquered countries, along with elephants. amongst whom Kalpa (wish-fulfilling) trees, elephants, chariots, with their drivers, houses, residences and rest houses, and to make all these acceptable (he) gives at a fire sacrifice, exemption (from taxes) to the cast of Brāhmaṇas^[1]. Depending on his strong elephant squad he brought from the Pāṇḍya king, horses, elephants jewels and rubies as well as numerous pearls in hundreds^[2]. Ganapatesvaram inscription of Gaṇapati^[3] (Śaka Samvat 1153, i.e. CE 1231) indicates the king carried to his city a mass of excellent elephants along with handsome women, fine men, horses and various kinds of precious stones, which he had seized throughout his country of Velanāṇḍu^[4] (v.35). Then, pleased by (his) deeds, the king joyfully granted to this Jāyana the dignity of a general (and) of a commander of the elephant-troop (gajasādhanitva), along with a palanquin, a parasol and other emblems (v.38).

The spurious Sudi plates^[5] give another example of coveting warelephants to be captured. It states

“When that king named Baddega had gone to appropriate the fortunes of (the god) Indra in heaven^[6], took elephants and horses and white umbrellas and thrones from the possession of Lalleya, and gave (them) to king Kṛṣṇa……having, at command indeed, conquered king Rājāditya who was made arrogant by pride in (his) array of elephants,—having…….laid seize to the town of Tañjāpurī,-(and) having burnt numbers of hill forts, headed by Nāḷakoṭe,—(he), the glorious Gañja-Nārāyaṇa, of his own accord gave to (king) Kṛṣṇa lordly elephants (and) horses (and) great wealth. With thunder bolts that were the maxims of those who interpret the Vedic writing etc. (he), king Jayad-uttaraṅga^[7], cleft open the frontal globes of the lordly elephants who are the expounders of evil precepts puffed up with the rut that is the doctrine of devotion to one sole object of worship.

The Pithapuram Pillar inscription of Mallapadeva (Śaka Samvat 1124, i.e. CE 1202) recorded that the thirteenth king of this dynasty, Guṇaga-Vijayāditya bore the surname Tribhuvanāṅkuśa and he is reported to have received elephants as tribute from the king of Kaliṅga, it indicates towards the victory of the king over the Kaliṅga (v.9-10)^[8]. We are come to know another Western Gaṅga king Mārasiṃha II from his Sravana Veḷgola Epitaph (9^th-10^th Century CE) and other epigraphic sources from Śravaṇa Belgoḷa that his successes against Vajjala, and at Gonūr and Uccaṅgi were actually achieved for him by a minister named Cāmuṇḍarāya or Cāvuṇḍarāja, who wrote Cāmuṇḍarāya Purāṇa and was a minister of also Rācamalla II who came next but one in the succession after Mārasiṃha II. Thus another record at Sravana Belgola^[9] tells us that the array of his (Cāmuṇḍarāya’s) enemies was broken, like a herd of deer on him, resembling a tusked elephant running to and fro (among) them. The enemy was Vajjaladeva. So the supremacy of the elephant squad in Gaṅga army reflects through this epigraph.

From the Śravana Belgoḷa epitaph of Western Gaṅga king Mārasiṃha II we come to know that the foremost king of the Gaṅga family Sayavākya Koṅguṇivarman, who came to be greatly extolled capturing many things with rutting elephants and all the other possessions of the lord of the Vanavāsi country, who bowed down in fear. Another inscription on a pillar in the Mūlasthāneśvara temple at Nāndeṇḍla refers to glorious squad of elephants of the Gaṅga kings of Kaliṅga (evidently Anantavarman alias Coḍagaṅga of Kaliṅga who reigned from Śaka samvat 999 to 1064) having consumed, like straw, the warriors of the bold enemy and having cut off (like), lotuses, their heads the mighty rutting elephants the Maṇḍalika Maṇḍa II (v.8)^[10]. After defeating the army of the enemy, he gave to Rājendra-Cola mighty elephants which had been captured there, (and) whose temples were bright with rut^[11]. Mention may be made here Abul Fazl’s note about wild elephants incidentally enable us to see how it was that Rājendra Cola (Kulattuṅga I) carried off many herds of wild elephants from Vayirāgaram (according to him city of Birāgarḥ) mentioned in the Tiruvorriyur inscription^[12].One of the fourteen inscriptions at Tirukkovalur says that in his sixth regnal year the king Parakeśarivarman alias the lord Śrī Rājendradeva defeated Ahavamalla at Koppam (on) the bank of the great river seized his elephants, horses, women and treasures^[13]. In the Nammuru grant of Ammarāja II of the Eastern Cālukya family, verse 5 contains unique description about Amma II than the other Cālukyan records.

It contains the following fanciful statement:—

“While this lord of the earth is proceeding to view the gardens outside (his palace), the frightened lords of the countries (lying) in that direction are offering (him) jewels, gold, horses, noble elephants and foot-soldiers”^[14].

The Bilhari pillar inscription of Yuvarajadeva II enables us to know a magnificent war capturing evidence. It describes: “He worship Someśvara with that (effigy of) Kāliya wrought of jewels and gold, which he had obtained from the princes having besides presented elephants, horses, white garments, garlands and other (gifts), (and) being filled with joy, very humbly praised (the god) to get rid of the troubles of worldly existence” (v.62)^[15]. The Gagaha plates of Govindacandra of Kanauj (Samvat 1199) indicate that Govindracandra captured the elephants of “nine kings” (v.8-9)^[16]. The “nine kings” are not named: very likely that text only means the kings of the navakhaṇḍa or nava-rājya, the nine divisions into which Jambūdvīpa was divided.

We often find reference to multiple tusks of elephants which are to some extent fanciful claims or fantasies. One of the earliest references to such a fantasy is found in the Jātaka narratives wherein a six tusked elephant is mentioned. However we have some rare examples of elephants with four tusks.

The Viṣṇukuṇḍin king Indravarman has been described in his Ramatirtham plates the claimer to have “encountered in hundred thousands of battles numerous four-tusked (elephants)” (l.50), as “Caturdanta”, “four-tusked”, is an epithet of Airāvata, the elephant of the east, Kielhorn has suggested that this curious beast may refer to victories gained in the eastern direction^[17].

According to Vadnagar Praśasti of the reign of Kumārapāla, Cāmuṇḍarāja’s army was famous for their elephant squad that inhaling even from a far the breeze perfumed with the ichor of his excellent elephants, the illustrious Sindhu-king fled together with his own elephants that were cowed by the smell of (their opponent’s) rut, and vanished in such wise that even all trace of the fame of that prince was lost (v.6)^[18].

In the praśasti of the Temple of Lakkhā Maṇḍal at Meḍhā in Jaunsār Bāwar the Siṅhavarman is described as a lion like king who earned by (the strength of) his arms a reputation for bravery and whose power was seen (to be) above (that of) those having dāna that is of merely liberal not heroic princes and of rutting elephants, here we have the time-honoured pun on dāna “liberality” and “the ichor of the rutting elephant”^[19] and who bore the second name Samaraghaṅghala, suitable (for him) on account of its meaning, (because he was) terrible in battle and his chest had been marked in countless fights by the points of elephant’s tusks—

“aparāmagaṇitasandara kariradanāgrāṅkitiraska” (v.12)^[20].

In this inscription one Divākarvarman whose famed appellation the Mahīghaṅghala warrior made his foes weaponless, when he nimbly strove over the battle (field) that was impossible on account of the elephant’s tusk (v.14)^[21]. Again one Bhāskara is said likewise by whom scaling on foot mountain fortresses accessible (only) to birds, kings expert in fighting were attacked and made to pay a tribute elephants (hastikaranaṃ dāpitāḥ kṣitipāḥ) (v.17)^[22].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

EI, Vol. XX, p.88.

[2]:

Ibid.

[3]:

Ibid., Vol.III, p.89.

[4]:

This territorial term forms part of Velanāṇṭi Kulottuṅga-Coḍa-Gaṃka, the name of a chief whose inscriptions range between Śaka-Samvat 1055-1072. EI, Vol. III, p.83, and Annual Report, 1892-93, p. 3.

[5]:

EI, Vol.III, p. 183.

[6]:

Had died.

[7]:

The arch of victory. Jayada is the Kanarese genitive.

[8]:

EI, Vol.IV, p.240.

[9]:

Inscriptions at Sravana Belgola, No.109.

[10]:

EI, Vol. VI, p.276.

[11]:

Ibid.

[12]:

SII, Vol.III, pp.133-134.

[13]:

EI, Vol.VII, pp.138-147.

[14]:

EI, Vol.XII, pp.61-64.

[15]:

CII, Vol.IV, pp.214, 221.

[16]:

EI, Vol.XIII, p.217.

[17]:

Ibid.,Vol.IV, p.195, fn.2.

[18]:

Ibid., Vol.II, p.303.

[19]:

EI., Vol. I, p.15

[20]:

Ibid., p. 13.

[21]:

Ibid., pp. 13 & 15.

[22]:

Ibid., pp.13 & 15.