Monday 6 April 2020

E is for ... Enormous ... n ... Exchange ... n ... Events



Enjoy it while it lasts – a good precept! but  also the title of this first track I have for you today, from the band Easy Wanderlings. And then listen to the veteran Anjan Dutta with Ekhono Tai, where Dylan’s influence on Indian contemporary music is very clearly audible. Well, enjoy! :) 









Exchanges and Empires



This is a small, hand-carved and painted bit of marble from Rajasthan, a state in the North-West of India. A very common object depicting an animal fundamentally associated with Indian culture, made and sold in their thousands probably. It's been with my knickknacks for ages, can't even remember how and when it joined the general mess. 


Credit.
Victory coin of Alexander, minted
324-322 BCE. British Museum.
 
Here’s another depiction of it on a slightly less common object. This one came about as a result of an enormously significant event - a military expedition undertaken, and then abandoned, by an emperor. For all that it was unfinished, it still left some dramatic prints on Indian history.


It's a victory coin minted after Alexander's India campaign, showing Alexander on horseback defeating the Indian king Porus on the reverse face and the goddess Nike crowning Alexander on the other. The story goes that King Porus' valiant, uncompromising demeanor even as a wounded and defeated warrior, impressed Alexander. 'Treat me as one king should treat another,' Porus is supposed to have said to Alex the G, according to some historians. Some others dispute it hotly. What is indisputable is that Alexander and Porus engaged in the battle of Hydaspes River in 326 BCE on the bank of the Jhellum, at a site part of modern day Pakistan. And that Porus, with his personal courage and superhero physique (he stood nearly 7 feet tall and was of great physical strength apparently) gave Alexander a hard time in battle.  Alexander was so taken with Porus' courageous rejoinder that he not only gave back his kingdom, but also reinstalled Porus as a one of the satraps.


Alexander wanted to push south-east into the Gangetic plains and the heart of India. But after the long marches, the river crossing and the bitter battles, the Macedonian army was exhausted and resentful. They had heard that the rivers (the Ganges) and warriors (the Nandas, the Gangaderai of Bengal) towards the east were even more ferocious! They had had enough. Alexander, being the astute military commander he was, did not turn back immediately but went south along the banks of the Indus, securing the easternmost frontiers of his conquests. He left two of his generals, Eudemus and Peithon, to administer his Indian territories and turned his armies back towards Persia in a sort of  large U turn.


War elephant at the east gateway to Sanchi.
Built by Ashoka the Great, 2nd century BCE.
Alexander's Indian campaign was the first exposure the Greeks had to war elephants. They wreaked havoc during battle, killing by trampling, goring and also lifting soldiers up in their trunks and dashing them down. Crushing by elephants was and remained a method of execution in India till well into Mughal times (1815). Elephants were also used by kings and nobles for hunting, travelling and as beasts of burden.


Alexander also opened up the Indian subcontinent to a whole new world of Greek influences and cultural exchange. The battle of Hydaspes was recorded and used in military strategy by later Indian empire builders. Less than a decade after Alexander turned back, Chandragupta Maurya, (Remember Ashoka? the one whose Pillar I told you about in my A post? Ashoka's grandfather) created one of the largest empires that India ever knew. Chandragupta maintained a standing army, a lesson learnt directly from Alexander. His mentor and advisor, the equally famous Chanakya, emphasised the need for military training before battles were fought. 


After Alexander's death, Seleucus Nikator, one of his generals established his own empire in Babylon and Persia and came east again. Seleucus and Chandragupta fought for two long years before the latter forced a peace treaty, as part of which Seleucus ceded some of the territories Alexander had conquered. He also gave one of his daughters in marriage to Chandragupta and got 500 war elephants as a gift from the Mauryan emperor. The Greeks maintained an ambassador in the Mauryan court thereafter paving the way for further cultural exchanges. The elephants Seleucus took back with him played a key role in several subsequent victories and established his hold over all of Alexander's territories, except India and Egypt. 


Did you know that an elephant eyelash can be up to 5 inches long? And that elephants are self-aware and can recognise themselves in a mirror? They are among the most intelligent of mammals.  


Edited to add : of the blogs I ended up at yesterday, I liked this ephemeral  photo and poetry post at Tommia's Tablet.






29 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    Another entertaining and informative post, Nila. Was always interested in Alexander's forays into the land. This was fun to read and loved the little eyelash factoid at the end!!! YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, can't remember where I read it - but it did say they don't need any mascara! :) Alex t' G has totally fascinated me from the time I was little - amazing mind and life!

      Delete
  2. Loved finishing with those very long eyelashes.
    And many thanks for yet another information packed post.
    Despite not understanding a word, that second music clip reverberated and sang to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Entire generations of musicians and fans influenced by Dylan and Cohen in my parts. Anjan Dutta is one among those.

      Delete
  3. Crushed by an elephant does not sound like the way I want to go.

    ReplyDelete
  4. elephants and enamel. Elephants are just grand unique creatures. They are mysterious, strong, and worthy of any salute, mythology, and worship. An elephant trample - what a way to go!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are actually fascinating creatures. Lots of mythology around them too.

      Delete
  5. That second song reminds me of Lenard Cohen. I didn't know elephants were so active in battle! Yikes.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was surprised to read that an elephant can know himself when he looks in the mirror ...
    His smart 🐘👌👍

    ReplyDelete
  7. I did elephants too today! But those are from Sumatra. :)
    Every time I read about Alexander I am always fascinated how one human life can change so much in history...

    The Multicolored Diary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All threatened by habitat loss, sadly. They do need lots of space and food and increasingly compete with humans. No guesses as to who wins that battle...sigh...

      Delete
  8. So sad that such intelligent, gentle creatures were used so brutally! I've always loved the elephant. My first introduction to a great white hunter, one of the Hilton's. Was through a childhood friend. It was her Uncle, and he took us into his massive den, it was covered with the heads and hides of his kills, and sadly, the feet of elephants as end tables. I was appalled, still am!
    Loving your posts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I've seen one like that too - a relative of a relative. Made magazine holders out of elephant feet and had an arch of tusks which was so valuable it had to be kept hidden behind bullet-proof glass or something, even that many years back. Turned my brain inside out...why anyone should need to kill a creature for a thrill is just beyond my understanding.

      Delete
  9. I love elephants. There are so many similarities between our two species, and they have such wonderful symbolism. It's so sad to read about how they've been abused and exploited by humans all the way back through history, not just for ivory poaching.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True, and unfortunately some of that abuse has happened in our times.

      Delete
  10. They are great and beautiful creatures. I believe the Indian elephant is trainable whereas the African elephant is not. They are an animal to respect for their power and intelligence.

    Our dear friend who keeps us safe on the roads in Uganda. Told us of his recent experience with an elephant. The vehicle broke and he was trying to discover the problem when an elephant arrived. He called his boss to ask him what to do. "get off the phone and run!!!'

    The Letter E

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. African elephants formed part of my A-Z 2018 :) had a heap of sightings in Kenya, spectacular creatures all.

      Delete
  11. Beautiful pieces of art, and great tips about elephant! Pretty eyes ;)
    E is for Embroirery

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They do have lovely eyes, twinkling and intelligent and altogether beautiful.

      Delete
  12. I know Indian music had an impact on Western music, but I had no idea it went the other way....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes it goes both ways...more of the first later in the series..

      Delete
  13. Fascinating history lesson and an appreciated dose of elephant facts to fuel my obsession.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elephants have a role in India mythology and history both...

      Delete
  14. I just feel sad that humans were making elephants kill for them. What magnificent mammals. The first song is very restful.
    Tasha 💖
    Virginia's Parlour - The Manor (Adult concepts - nothing explicit in posts)
    Tasha's Thinkings - Vampire Drabbles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agree on both counts. In the Royal Armoury at Leeds, there is a full armour for an Indian war elephant - it's horrific actually.

      Delete
  15. I never knew about war elephants! The carvings at the gateway to Sanchi are marvelous! That Ashoka! :) I'm also intrigued that there was such a thing as execution by elephant trampling. Oh, and I love, love, LOVE the song "Enjoy It While It Lasts"

    ReplyDelete