Tusks of wisdom: The elephant in the Buddhist art of Kanaganahalli

The Asian elephant has always occupied a prominent place in the art of the Indian subcontinent – from Harappan seals and prehistoric petroglyphs to the later plastic art of Buddhist stupas and temples of the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. In this paper, we discuss the representation of elephants at the Buddhist stupa at Kanaganahalli, in northern Karnataka. Most of the sculptures are in shallow relief, on limestone, and are excellent examples of the quality of early Indian art, offering unique insights into the relationship between humans and the Asian elephant in the early centuries of the Common Era, and the various uses that captive elephants were subject to at the time.