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Jumbo journey from the Vedic times till today

Author: TNN
Publication: The Times of India
Date: November 16, 2017
URL:   https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-times-of-india-mumbai-edition/20171116/282265255721132

From time immemorial, elephants have played a significant role in the Indian ethos. Immortalized in the image of Ganesha, documented in the upkeep manual of Chanakya, to present times, the resplendent elephant has been a key part of India's collective conscience.

A coffee table book by Jaipur-based Tripti Pandey, “India’s Elephants: A Cultural Legacy,” traversing through history and mythology, takes you on a journey through India from Vedic times to the present day use of the pachyderm for tourism.

“The book is a celebration of the animal. It took me five years of research and travel through Odisha, Karnataka, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Varanasi, Ajanta and Ellora, Assam and Bhopal and of course Jaipur where I belong, to complete the book,” said Tripti. The book makes a special mention of ‘Gaj Shiksha’, the Sanskrit manuscript on elephantology.

A detailed manual dating back to the 4th century BC during the time of Kautilya and Chandragupta Maurya recorded that special atten- tion was paid to ensure that elephants were comfortable. “To Chanakya, the elephants were as important as the bullet train is to India. The book has so much history, culture and architecture revolving around the elephant,” quipped Piyush Pandey, national creative director, Ogilvy & Mather India.
 
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