Knowledge about Plant Science, Animal Science and Conservation Measures in Ancient India have not received in-depth attention of the scholars. The present book tries to project the ancient Indian knowledge in this branch of study covering original source books in regional language like Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Tai-Ahom, old Assamese and others alongside Sanskrit.In the present book, the author states that the outlying spirit of unity among the people of different regions is not only expressed in terms of political unity but a strong sense of commonness always works through cultural practices and almost identical heritage of knowledge system. Science or we may call it proto- science is a common heritage of the Indians.
Professor Bagchi, an eminen scholar of Ancient Indian History had started her career as UG teacher. Later she served in the Department of History, University of North Bengal till her retirement. She has contributed to many reputed journals and edited books. Her well-known works include social situations of women of North Bengal Through the Ages: Ancient and Early Medieavla Periods (2007), changing faces of Indian women (2009), Empowerment and Her Story: An Agamic Vision (2010), Omnibus of North Bengal: The History and Culture of the Hills and the Plains (2015) in two volumes and many others.
Her works on Forestry in Ancient India and review articles like Fish and (Fisheries in Indian Heritage Reviews in Fisheries Science/ Taylor and Francis) are considered as pioneering works.
The task of writing the foreword of a book enriched with amazing details of the issues dwelt on by the author is onerous to a degree particularly when the person entrusted with the task is not among the scholars wellversed in the subject. Interestingly enough, very few scholarsof our times claim expertise on the subject we are now concerned with. Nevertheless piecemeal approach to it by individual writers is evident from myriad journals and anthologies published in India. An exhaustive treatment of the theme 'plant and animal science in ancient India'is precisely rare and for this reason the present work demands attention of the academia as well as the lay readers. The huge and tireless effort behind the work is manifested in every chapter of the book. Yet another noteworthy feature about the work I have come to know from the author herself is that the manuscript has undergone several rounds of emendations before the book went to final print. The process of editing and reediting took a long time. One of the reasons behind repeated emendations would surprise the readers. The ancient texts used by the author as her sources not infrequently differed from each other. India as a vast sub-continent with various climate zones was destined to have many different ways to deal with the plants and animals. Methods of agriculture differed from zone to zone as did the agricultural produce. Any scholar dealing with the subject would find the delicate differences between the Sanghitas, the Puranas and other texts in their suggestions with regard to growing of seasonal crops and plants, care and treatment of animals and methods of conservation.
But the author reminds us some invariable basic features of the science she is concerned with. In theory Pasyayurveda, the healing science dealing with the animals, and Vrksayurveda, the same for the plants are extensions of the Ayurveda. And all these are based on the tridosa theory. The three dosas are related to the elements known as vayu (space and air), pitta (fire and water) and kapha (earth and water).
The ayurveda and all its branches recognize the fact that the entire creation including humans, animals and plants are ecologically linked. So ailments of any creature and their treatment are ecologically linked. Our take on it is that despite regional variations the basic principles of plant and animal science were almost the same in every region in India.
From the prehistoric times India was known for its huge cowsheds and stables maintained by lords of the land and other important personages. Even hermits living in the asramas were known to have owned huge number of cows. Battles were fought over theft of cows and archaeological evidence like hero stones suggested hero worship of those martyred in such battles. Particularly in southern India a number of such hero stones have been found.
The kings and the feudatory chiefs under them had stables large and small managed by well- trained personnel. At an uncertain point of time elephants were added to the military might of the kings. Animals like elephants and horses were among the prized possessions of the Indian kings. All those animals employed in military or civil activities required veterinary care and research on a regular basis. This had led to the development of the branch of science known as Pasyayurveda in some regions of India.
Kautilya, interestingly, pointed out the necessity of constructing stables of appropriate size to house the elephants:
There shall be constructed an elephant stable twice as broad and twice as high as the length (ayama) of an elephant, with separate apartments for female elephants, with projected entrance (sapragrivam), with posts called kumari, and with its door facing either the east or the north.
The space in front of the smooth posts, (to which elephants are tied) shall form a square, one side of which is equal to the length of an elephant, and shall be paved with smooth wooden planks and provided with holes for the removal of urine and dung.
The space where an elephant lies down shall be as broad as the length of an elephant, and provided with a platform raised to half the height of an elephant for leaning on.
Elephants serviceable in war or for riding shall be kept inside the fort; and those that are still being tamed or are of bad temper shall be kept outside.
Bathing and feeding time for the elephants in the stable, the hour of the day meant for their exercise were among the niceties detailed by the ancient author.
This is just a glimpse of how the elephants occupied the attention of a leading intellect of ancient India. In his Arthasastra Kautilya goes on to mention interalia, the appropriate season to capture elephants, at what age they shall be captured and how they are to be treated in their captivity and so on and so forth.
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