HORSES IN INDIA

                                                                            

( A Miniature Painting from the Mahabharata showing Arjuna and Sri Krishna on the chariot. A Kashmir Miniature of the 19th Century )

HORSES IN INDIA

It is unfortunate to see a breed of so-called scholars with a poor sense of history, no knowledge of comparative religious practices, and ignorance of vast Sanskrit literature, dabbling in issues ancient to Indian ethos and civilisation. Generally, I find their write-ups to be simple copy-paste material, or expansions, extractions, or reductions from already published works. The shallowness of study becomes visible when the writer inserts a sentence here or there that comes from the figment of his own imagination.

Some time back, I read a similar write-up where an ignorant author, claiming to be a scholar, wrote that horses were unknown to Indian Kings until the Mughals brought them from Central Asia. This is a sheer poverty of study. The so-called scholar must know the following:

1. In ancient Indian mythology, the origin of the horse comes from the Samudra Manthan exercise. It was a divine, seven-headed white horse which later became the vahana of Indra. Uchchaihshravas was the name of this horse.
2. Ashva, the Sanskrit word for the animal “horse,” is from the group called ‘gramya-passu’ (domestic animals) and finds mention in the Vayu Puraṇa.
3. In the contest between Brahma and Surya, Brahma, the creator of the universe, and Surya, the Sun God, competed for ownership and possession of the seven horses in charge of pulling the solar disc. In this way, horses are responsible for the passage of the Sun throughout the day. The seven horses that draw the chariot of Surya are named after the seven Vedic metres of verse: Gayatri, Bṛhati, Uṣṇik, Jagati, Triṣṭubh, Anuṣṭubh, and Pankti.
4. The Hindu god Kalki, a manifestation (avatar) of Lord Vishnu, is portrayed as riding a giant white horse. Many scholars  believe that Kalki’s name is derived from the word Karki, meaning white. Lord Kalki rides a white horse and punishes the evil while rewarding the good.
5. In the Vedas, horses often represent the Sun and its yearly course, which is associated with the wandering of the horse in the Ashvamedha Yajna. The horse is also said to be analogous to Prajapati-Agni, Puruṣa the Creator, or Varuṇa. In the Vedas, the horse symbolises energy.
6. Lord Vishnu took the Hayagriva avatar to restore the Vedas from the demons. After killing them, he handed over the Vedas to his son, Lord Brahma Dev. Hayagriva is depicted with a horse’s head.
7. The great Mahabharata warrior Ashvatthama was given his name because he produced the sound of a horse at birth.
8. The divine Gandharva sage Tumburu has a horse head. He sang melodious songs to Lord Vishnu and wandered the divine worlds, similar to Rishi Narada.
9. In Vedic Astrology, Ashvini Nakshatra is the first among the 27 Nakshatras and falls under the zodiac sign of Aries. The word Ashvini means “horse-like,” “one who possesses horses,” or “one who tames horses.” The symbol of this Nakshatra is a horse’s head. The Ashvini Kumaras are the ruling deities of this Nakshatra.
10. .Lord Panchamukha Hanuman, among his five heads, also contains a horse head.

 

Several Hindu rulers in India were especially famous for maintaining large, well-organised horse stables, because cavalry was the backbone of power. If we go by the most notable and well-recorded examples, these stand out:

Ancient Period

• The Bharata–Puru kings of the Rigvedic era maintained royal stables. Horses were central to Vedic warfare and rituals, and kings prized swift war horses.
• King Dasharatha of Ayodhya, whose name literally means “ten chariots” (referring to horse-drawn chariots), maintained an elite force of horses for chariots and cavalry. Sri Rama is repeatedly described as riding and commanding horse units.
• In the Mahābhārata, Yudhishthira performed the Ashvamedha; Arjuna was famed for horse-drawn chariots (bearing the Kapidhvaja banner), and Nakula was an expert in Ashva-shastra (the science and care of horses).
• King Bimbisara and Ajatashatru of Magadha maintained organised cavalry. These kings used horses alongside elephants and infantry.
• Chandragupta Maurya maintained thousands of war horses. Greek accounts by Megasthenes mention many royal horse officials in his army.
• Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (early reign) maintained large cavalry units. Horse motifs appear in Mauryan symbolism.
• Among the Gupta kings, Samudragupta performed the Ashvamedha and issued gold coins depicting the sacrificial horse. He also maintained a strong cavalry.
• Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) possessed a large cavalry, which played a key role in defeating the Saka rulers.

Furthermore, Maharana Pratap’s legendary horse, Chetak, became a symbol of Rajput valour. Prithviraj Chauhan’s armies relied heavily on fast-moving horse units. Raja Raja Chola I maintained a state cavalry apart from elephants. Vijayanagara rulers, especially Raja Krishnadevaraya, maintained heavy cavalry forces.

The issue hardly needs further clarification.

(Avtar Mota)

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