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Paper short abstract:

This paper borrows from history of Odisha,India where the best elephants were said to be found in India, and Kings were titled Gajapati (meaning lord of elephants), to map the genesis of human-elephant relations of a lesser-known elephant range, i.e., Balasore district of Odisha, India.

Paper long abstract:

In the present day, the concerns of wildlife cannot be discussed in isolation but concerning human forces pushing them towards extinction. Nevertheless, Trautmann rummages through pages of Indian history and posits that the protection of elephants was ensured positively by the Indian Kings. Most Indian kingdoms in the past engaged their resources to capture and train elephants, primarily to travel, wage wars against enemies and symbolize power among other tasks. Various shreds of evidence establish that before the rise of kinship, there was no capture and management of elephants. The relation of Kings to elephants as observed by Trautmann is a four-cornered one with kings, elephants, forests, and forest people. However, the Kings’ interest in elephants dwindled with the modernisation of warfare technology, the decline of kingship, and the introduction of wildlife protection laws, among other reasons. Consequently, human-elephant relations altered tremendously. Hence, this paper borrows from history of Odisha where the best elephants were said to be found in India, and Kings were titled Gajapati (meaning lord of elephants), to map the genesis of human-elephant relations of a lesser-known elephant range, i.e., Balasore district of Odisha.

Keywords: Indian kings, elephants, human-elephant relations, Gajapati, Balasore, Odisha.