A History of Agriculture in India v1.c26.s6: Domestic Animals
A History of Agriculture in India v1.c26.s6
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Domestic Animals
v1.c26.s6.1
We get evidence of domestic animals kept by the later Aryans from some excavations in Haryana. A quantity of animal bones have been found from different levels at Bhagwanpura in the Kurukshetra District. The assemblage consists of a large number of charred bones of cattle. The bones of cattle, sheep, goat, dog and *Equus* were present in the assemblage. Cattle from the lower levels are mostly of massive size. A few of the cattle bones show incomplete ossification. Charred tortoise shells are also present, which indicates that the flesh of the tortoise was eaten. Even at present, Sansis eat the flesh of the tortoise. Cattle bones from the upper levels show a weaker and small breed.
v1.c26.s6.2
What was the breed of cattle kept by the Aryans? According to Olver (1938), the Hariana breed of cattle entered India through the northern passes with the Aryans. Ware (1942) also supports Olver's view.¹¹ The Hariana breed is found in Pakistan, the Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. The related breeds are the Mewati, Rath, Ongole, and Krishna Valley. The Mewati breed is found in the Alwar and Bharatpur districts of Rajasthan as well as in the Kosi tract of the Mathura District. The Rath breed is found in the Alwar District of Rajasthan. The Ongole breed is found in Bapatla, Sathanapalli, Vinukonda and Kandukur taluks of the Nellore and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh. The Krishna Valley breed is found in the southern areas of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. It is notable that all the breeds represented in this group are located along the route taken by the Aryan invaders stretching from Kalat in Pakistan and then passing through the Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh to south India.
v1.c26.s6.3
¹¹ Joshi, N.R. and Phillips, Ralph W. *Zebu Cattle of India and Pakistan—An FAO Study*, p. 87
v1.c26.s6.4
However, it is the Delhi-Rohtak-Gurgaon and Hissar tract in which the Hariana breed is found at its best. The Hariana bullocks are short-horned, white or light grey, the body is proportionate, moderately long and has a compact appearance (Fig. 156). The head is carried high, the horns are short and, in castrated bullocks, curving upwards and inwards. The ears, the dewlap and the sheath are small. There is a big and well-developed hump; the feet are small and the hoofs are well shaped, hard and black. The tail is rather short, thin and tapering, and carries a black switch reaching just below the hocks. The Hariana breed is a dual-purpose breed, used both for draught and milk production. The bullocks are excellent for fast ploughing and for road transport. The cows are good milkers.
v1.c26.s6.5
Elephants and Horses. Another sign of the new era is the definite references to the keeping of tame elephants, the guarding of elephants being one of the occupations occurring in the *Yajur-Veda* texts. The use of horses for riding had certainly become more common.