Elephants of Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka no other animal has been connected for so long with the people in their fixed and religious activities as the elephant. This association dates back to the pre-Christian era, additional than 5,000 years. early Sinhalese kings captured and tamed elephants which old to abound in the country.

 a variety of method of imprison were working, some native, others introduced by adjoining kings and countries that occupied and ruled Sri Lanka. Regularly the number of elephants captured bigger. All elephants were reserved by the king in his stables. The methods of capture were polished and adapted as time went on.

Elephants, fairly caparisoned, have and still take part in formal, edifying and religious pageants and processions. Elephants have been used by man in his wars in Europe and Asia. They have assisted him in his classification operations and building works. In this nation too elephants have fought in wars and featured in various sports and combat during Sinhala celebrations. In India they have provided hauling for sportsmen indulge in shikars.

Throughout the time of the Sinhala kings the elephant was afforded whole shield by royal declaration. The punishment for killing an elephant was death. With the beginning of the British this security was reserved. Large statistics of elephants were killed by the British under the show of sport. Not only did the British government hearten and overlook killings as a sport but it also paid a reward for each elephant killed, deeming the elephant an undeveloped pest.

In Sri Lanka the variations in physical appearance amongst elephants were noticed and recorded in ancient Sinhala manuscripts. There are ten such groups or ‘castes’. These differences do not seem important now.

The first record of the organization among man and elephant in Sri Lanka was recorded in the 1st Century BC on an writing at Navalar Kulam in Panama Pattu in the Eastern area, of a religious investment by a prince who was elected “Ath Arcaria” or Master of the Elephant institution. The Elephant institution was called the “Ath panthiya”. The remains of the antique cities in Sri Lanka abound with carvings of elephants in many forms, attesting to the slam friendship between man and elephant