Techniques of building Elephant abodes

After catching the elephants they were kept in a make shift stable or elephant reserve as already discussed. However selected ones for royal stables were then shifted to their new abode. Gajaśāstra mentions techniques of building such abodes for elephants.^[1] The place (for an elephant) should be planned in a pleasant area where all the pleasures of the seasons are present, abundance of water and trees was imperative for the selection of site and the place should have easy access i.e. where it is easy to ascend and descend and it should not be located far off from the city.^[2]

Further the text also mentions other cautions while the abode site is selected the person in charge of selection should make sure that the place is devoid of nests of white ants, it should not be dry, it should be far away from caityas, burning grounds, temples or haunted houses. Gajaśāstra being inclined towards the Śaiva sect mentions that the elephant house should be measured out after worshipping Śiva^[3], offering oblations to the Fire and satisfying Brāhmaṇas, accompanied by (auspicious) sounds of Puṇyāha. This brings us to the issue of measurement of the abodes. Texts mentions that in ideal conditions for the best elephant, it should be twenty-four arms in width, and two arms each shorter for the medium and inferior respectively.^[4] A door should be built at the back for removing excreta. The elephant abode should be ornamented by prāggrīvas half their own width. The prāggīva should be half their width. The back doors should be the same width as the prāggrīva and twice its height, higher in front, while the front door should be higher at the back. They should be built six, five and four kiṣkus in height (respectively) for the best, the medium and the inferior. They should have three pillars for (both) female and male elephants. They should be made of wood from sāla, śāka, timiśa or arjuna trees. They should be heavy, straight, delicate, rounded without knots or holes. The pillar for the best (elephant) is prescribed as sixty eight fingers in width. For the medium and the inferior, it should be twelve fingers less (than the former) in each case. In length the best should be fourteen aratnis. For the medium and the inferior, it should be one arm and two arms less respectively. The pillar should be in the middle of (the house) lengthwise, sixteen fingers away probably from the end.^[5]

The sleeping area for the elephants was to be constructed with care in the centre, slightly raised on the sides with tender and dry. Its size should be judged according to the size of the elephant, and should be slightly depressed in the middle. The text also provides an alternative of building the sleeping area in the north or the east of the house, a bed according to the size of the elephant should be laid out. The best house is seven arms high. It is interesting to note that the cleanliness was maintained in this sleeping zone by besmearing the ground with elephant’s own excreta as it done to keep mud huts clean by using cow dung. To make it a compulsory arrangement a hint of superstition or healing effect was also added with the myth that this was done to avert (the ill effects of) planets etc. and appease pain or agitation, the bed must be spread every day with the elephants own excreta. Up to the bed, half a wall should be built, made of mud, and covered with thick leaves on top. However the text also mentions that when it is dry, the house must be anointed with mud. Beside it another dispensary should be added.^[6] The texts often mention worshiping procedures along with oblations and libations for pleasing Brāhmaṇas especially on auspicious days.^[7] Such rituals were held on associated with events like the elephant’s entry into the abode and so on. There were deities associated with elephants and their well-being. The elephant keepers worshipped deities like Śaktipāṇi and Śāstā so that their elephants do not suffer from pākala and remain in good health.^[8]

Gajaśāstra recommends their daily worship without fail or their regular worship as compulsory. However the worship of these deities are hitherto unknown. Śaktipāṇi^[9] is an epithet of Kārttikeya and reference to Śāstā is found in Tamil literature and this male deity is also associated with Kārttikeya. Kārttikeya was a warrior god and elephants were an important part of the warfare hence the association with Kārttikeya is but obvious. The involvement of the Brāhmaṇas in the whole process is evident from the references to worship, oblations libations and other rites and rituals including sacrificial rituals as well. The text also mentions that in each of the elephant-houses, goats, dogs, pigs (boars) should be sacrificed by the wise for the satisfaction of rakṣas, gandharvas and yakṣas.^[10]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid., (atha gajaśāstrānubandhaḥ: atha gajaśālānirmāṇavidhiḥ), p.222.

[2]:

Ibid., v. 1-2.

[3]:

Ibid., v. 3-5.

[4]:

Ibid., v. 6.

[5]:

Ibid., v. 6-14, pp. 223-224.

[6]:

Ibid., v. 32, p.226.

[7]:

Ibid., (atha gajaśāstrānubandhaḥ: atha gajaśālānirmāṇavidhiḥ), v. 19-20, p.224.

[8]:

Ibid., v. 21-22, p.225.

[9]:

M. M. Williams. A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 2011, p. 1044.

[10]:

Shri Mantramurti K.S. Subrahmanyaśāstri. ed. &tr. (in Tamil), Gaja-śāstram of Pālakāpya muni with extracts from other works and Coloured Illustrations, (atha gajaśāstrānubandhaḥ: atha gajaśālānirmāṇavidhiḥ), v. 23, p. 225.