Veterinary Medicine and Animal Keeping in Ancient India

Domestication of dogs, buffaloes (?), elephants, and fowls occurred in India between 6000 and 4500 BC. Strong archaeological evidence is available for existence of an advanced civilization in Mohenjo-daro, Harappa (now in Pakistan) and certain other places in northern India around 2500 BC. The people of these civilizations had both humped and humpless cows, buffaloes, elephants, goats, fowl, etc. Cattle husbandry was well developed during the Rigvedic period (1500–1000 BC) and the cow (Kamdhenu) was adored and considered the ‘best wealth’ of mankind. Aryans laid great emphasis on protection of cows. Atharvaveda provides interesting information about ailments of animals, herbal medicines, and cure of diseases. Shalihotra, the first known veterinarian of the world, was an expert in horse husbandry and medicine and composed a text Haya Ayurveda. Sage Palakapya was an expert dealing with elephants and composed a text Gaja Ayurveda. During Mahabharata period (1000 BC), Nakula and Sahadeva, the two Pandava brothers were experts of horse and cattle husbandry, respectively. Lord Krishna was an expert caretaker and conservator of cow husbandry. Gokul and Mathura were famous for excellent breeds of cows, high milk production, quality curd, butter, and other products. Buddha was a great protector of all kinds of animals and birds (including game) in ancient India as he preached lessons of nonviolence to masses. Graeco-Romans imported livestock from India after invasion by Alexander. These descriptions are available in Indika, a book authored by Megasthenes, the ambassador of Seleucus Nikator, king of Mecedonia in the court of Chandragupta Maurya. The great king Ashoka (300 BC) erected the first known veterinary hospitals of the world. He arranged cultivation of herbal medicines for men and animals in his empire and adjoining kingdoms. In a famous text, the Arthashastra (science of economics) composed by Kautilya, the guide and political advisor of emperor Chandragupta Maurya, a lot of information is available about different animal (elephant, horse, and cow) departments, grazing lands, rules of meat science, livestock products like skin and fur, and veterinary jurisprudence. This knowledge flourished during the great Hindu kings of the Gupta period up to 800 AD before Islamic followers invaded India. More than an economic enterprise, livestock keeping is a centuries-old, inviolable tradition of ancient India. Some of the most important cultural and religious institutions and traditions of the Hindus are linked to domesticated animals. There is ample evidence to suggest that animals were domesticated before the beginning of the written history. The ancient history and its recording by written or unwritten sources is somehow seen as sacrosanct and therefore not open for any revision. History can be traced from excavation findings, old scriptures, and edicts. Ancient Indian literature in the form of the holy Vedas, Puranas, Brahmanas, epics, etc. is flooded with information on animal care, health management, and disease cure. India has lived a life concentric with religion at its center and the cow occupied an important place, not merely for the nutritive lacto-products they offer, but also for cultural ethos. Paintings of cave men and animals Being a member of the Mammalia class, Primate order, and Hominoidea superfamily, man also may be considered as an animal, but with a difference of wisdom and culture. Although bones of several species of animals have been found at the campsites of early man, but it is through his artistic creations that we know a lot about his relationship with animals. The oldest art belonging to the Upper Palaeolithic period, in the form of chattel objects or rock paintings, is therefore called ‘Zoomorphic’. In the earliest phases, natural images of animals are found, whereas the depiction of human figures is very rare. In a hunting-foraging economy, animals were valued for their protein-rich meat, skin, bone, horn, and antlers. But they were not the sole items of their diet as there were many other easily available edibles in the forests. During the Proto-historic time, with the beginning of a sedentary lifestyle, animals were reared for their products, transportation, and farming. It was only during the Early Historic time that man enslaved animals and misused them even in the battlefield. All these stages of man-animal relationship from the Pre-historic time to Early Historic time are depicted in the art of the cave dwellers (Mathpal,1984). Animal husbandry in Harappan culture Excavations of Harappa in Montgomeri district, Punjab and Mohenjo-daro in Larkana district, Sindh (now in Pakistan) in 1920–22 provided valuable archaeological evidence of a well developed civilization, which was 5000 to 6000 years old. The famous Indus Valley civilization was better known for highly developed culture and organized society. People of Indus Valley civilization were familiar with dogs, bulls, sheep, goats, buffaloes, horses, and elephants. They were also aware of a number of wild-game and animal products, such as milk, curd, ghee, and meat. Fish was their main animal food. These people were fond of mutton, beef, chicken, and meat of tortoise. Seals recovered from Indus valley provided knowledge of bulls, buffaloes, goats, elephants, ibex, and many other animals. The script on these seals has not been fully deciphered so far.