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Nowhere, I think, has the elephant been understood with more sympathy than in our art. Our master carvers were quick to perceive both the droll, ponderous mass of the great beast and its pliant grace, and familiar with its peculiar anatomy in movement and repose. There are hundreds of superb elephants in our sculpture, from Cape Comorin to the Himalayas, belonging to various periods and cultures - at Sarnath, Sanchi, Ellora Halebid, Mahabalipuram, Madura, Travancore.

It would be hard to name the best dozen elephants in our sculpture even if one were familiar with them all, which I am not. But I hazard the guess that among them would be the young tusker in bass relief shown here. Observe how the sloping forehead, thick tusks, short-coupled body and unfolded ear of the still youthful tusker have all been faithfully remembered here - obviously the beast is almost full grown, but has many years to "furnish" in, before it attains the full majesty of its maturity. Where and across which wall or pillar does this restive adolescent pace, the limbs on each side moving together to give it the characteristic rolling gait of an elephant in a moody hurry? That is for you to guess.

......................."-M.Krishnan

This was first published on 17 April 1955 in The Sunday Statesman


*Only 2 paragraphs reproduced here
#Images of sculptures not reproduced here