Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v1.c8.s2.40

v1.c8.s2.40

Like the horse, the elephant was an animal that was imported into the country. The land which supplied Vijayanagara with elephants was, according to 'Abdur Razzāq, Ceylon.⁴ "And in this island (of Ceylon) are reared many wild elephants which the King has caught and tamed. These he sells to the merchants of Charamandel, of Narsingua (Vijayanagara), Malabar, Daquem and Cambaia, who came hither to seek them".⁵ In these words does Barbosa confirm what 'Abdur Razzāq says about the country from where elephants were imported into Vijayanagara. Why this animal, which has good claims to be called a characteristic member of the fauna of India, should have been imported from Ceylon is a matter that cannot be understood. For among the places from where Indians brought elephants, as given in the Sukraniti and in the Ā'in-Akbarī, Ceylon is not mentioned at all.⁶ The only explanation perhaps is that since the central regions of India, which were famous for their elephants, were in the hands of the Muhammadans, the Vijayanagara emperors were naturally inclined to turn their minds to Ceylon in the south, which could be approached from any one of the numerous ports of the Empire.