Elephant goad: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Indian - Elephant Goad - Walters 5161.jpg|upright|thumb|17th century ''ankusha'' from South India]]

The '''elephant goad''', '''bullhook''', or '''ankusha'''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dalal |first=Roshen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrk0AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT559 |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |date=2014-04-18 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-81-8475-277-9 |pages=559 |language=en}}</ref> is a tool employed by [[mahout]] in the [[elephant handling|handling and training of elephant]]s. ItThe pointed tip of an elephant goad or a bullhook could be used to stab the elephant's head if the elephant charged nearby people, risking injury or death to the rider and bystanders. The elephant goad consists of a hook (usually bronze or steel) which is attached to a {{convert|60|-|90|cm|ft|abbr=on}} handle, ending in a tapered end.

A relief at [[Sanchi]] and a fresco at the [[Ajanta Caves]] depict a three-person crew on the war elephant, the driver with an elephant goad, what appears to be a noble warrior behind the driver and another attendant on the posterior of the elephant.<ref name="books.google.com.au">Nossov, Konstantin & Dennis, Peter (2008). ''War Elephants''. illustrated by Peter Dennis. Edition: illustrated. Osprey Publishing. {{ISBN|1-84603-268-7}}

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===Iconography===

[[File:Ganesha Nurpur miniature circa 1810 Dubost p64.jpg|thumb|The [[Hindu]] god [[Ganesha]] holding an elephant goad in his right upper arm]]

The elephant god is a polysemic [[iconographic]] ritual tool in [[Hinduism]], [[Jainism]], and [[Buddhism]], in the inclusive [[rubric]] of [[Dharmic Traditions|Indian religions]].{{citation needed|date=February 2011}}

The elephant has appeared in cultures across the world. They are a symbol of wisdom in Asian cultures and are famed for their memory and intelligence, where they are thought to be on par with [[cetaceans]]<ref name="fusukt">{{cite web|url=http://tursiops.org/dolfin/guide/smart.html |title=What Makes Dolphins So Smart? |publisher=Discovery Communications |access-date=2007-07-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215000000/http://tursiops.org/dolfin/guide/smart.html |archive-date=2012-02-15 }}</ref> and [[hominids]].<ref name = "hfezyk">{{cite web|url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ap/ar/2001/00000062/00000005/art01815|title=Cognitive behaviour in Asian elephants: use and modification of branches for fly switching |publisher=BBC|access-date = 2007-07-31}}</ref> [[Aristotle]] once said the elephant was "the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind".<ref name=O>{{cite book | last = O'Connell | first = Caitlin | title = The Elephant's Secret Sense: The Hidden Lives of the Wild Herds of Africa | publisher = Simon & Schuster | year = 2007 | ___location = [[New York City]] | pages = [https://archive.org/details/elephantssecrets0000ocon/page/174 174, 184] | isbn = 978-0-7432-8441-7 | url = https://archive.org/details/elephantssecrets0000ocon/page/174 }}</ref> The word "elephant" has its origins in the Greek {{lang|grc|[[wikt:ἐλέφας|ἐλέφας]]}}, meaning "ivory" or "elephant".<ref name="COED">{{cite book |last=Soanes |first=Catherine |author2=Angus Stevenson |title=Concise Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-929634-0 |year=2006}}</ref>

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===Hinduism===

In the Hinduism, an elephant goad is one of the eight auspicious objects known as [[Ashtamangala]] and certain other religions of the [[Indian subcontinent]]. A goad is also an attribute of many Hindu gods, especially [[Tripura Sundari]] & [[Ganesha]]. It is present as one of the marks, next to a [[lotus flower]] on the right foot (sole) of [[Krishna]].

===Buddhism===