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| Sunday, 29 September 2002 |
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Sel Lipi : Tame elephants Swasthi Shree! Thus says his sacred Majesty, the gracious Great King, glorious Chakravarthi, King of the Kings of Maya, Pihiti and Ruhuna, Mahoora of the Vanniala-aeththo and ruler of all lands from Yapapatuna to Sampanthota: It has come to the notice of the Maha Vasala that, at Mihiri Yahana near the Jala Durga of Kotte, a Tata ratha has made a fundamental impact on an elephant. It seems that the tusker had been on its way from Veedhiyagoda (where it had taken part in a perahera the night before) to the Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya (where it was due to take part in the annual perahera), when the ratha had collided with its posterior. The mahout has taken the wounded pachyderm to the mura-kutiya at Mihiri Yahana, where it spent two days recovering. According to the mahout, the owner of the ratha had come to the mura-kutiya and offered him 5000 kahapanas, which he refused. However, the miscreant charioteer is apparently still absconding. Reference has been made in a previous epigraph to the fact that charioteers have been traversing the mang-mawath of the realm at not inconsiderable speeds, apparently trying to emulate the dhaavana shoorayas of the Sutra 1 Grand Prix of the Parangis. This has resulted in considerable loss to life and limb. Imagine what might have happened if the accident at Mihiri Yahana had involved someone other than a relative of the Nalagiri tusker! This incident should serve to enlighten the public to the travails of the tame elephants of this realm. The sel-lipi carvers of this country have oft referred to the sufferings of wild pachyderms, who were hunted by the Parangis and the Kalu Suddhas (until, soon after the Buddha Jayanthi, god Sakra came down in the shape of a deer) and who are now losing their territories. But rarely do they mention those of the tame variety, except when one of these gentle giants goes berserk and murders its mahout. The blame is then laid upon the elephant, the fact that it has perhaps been goaded beyond endurance with an ankus being discounted. Now it has come to the notice of the Maha Vasala that the shreni of owners of pachyderms has asked the nilames of the various angshayas to aid in keeping up the number of elephants in captivity. It appears that, in response, the angshaya of Rukman manthri, who is in charge of the welfare of the ruk devatas, is making efforts to buy tuskers from the neighbouring realms, on behalf of this association. We had occasion recently to mention the attempt to send two elephants from the Pinnawela orphanage to Khroatiyawa. It also seems that elephants are being released from there to private owners. Recently, it appears, an orphan elephant who was handed over to a temple in this manner has died. The orphanage at Pinnawela was certainly not founded to maintain the supply of elephants for exploitation and entertainment, or of tuskers for temples and tourism. The tusker is the very totem of Rukman manthri and Wijamu manthri and others of their ilk. It behoves them, therefore, to take adequate steps to prevent this cruelty, especially in a land where the ahimsic creed of the conqueror of the Nalagiri tusker is said to be paramount. Otherwise, it might be said that, rather than the lion rampant, the elephant or the Dhamma Chakra, the ankus is the true symbol of this self-righteous realm. Swasthi Shree! This rock edict is made on this day of Ravi of the month of Binara of the Year of the Saka Era 1929. - Gotabhaya. |
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