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'Hastyayurveda', an ancient Sanskrit treatise on the medicine and care of elephants, is attributed to:

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Answer: Option A — Palakapya

Detailed Solution

"Hastyayurveda" ("the Ayurveda of elephants"), an ancient Sanskrit treatise on the medicine and care of elephants, is attributed to the sage Palakapya.

About the Hastyayurveda:

  • It is a large work dealing with the anatomy, physiology, diseases, treatment, surgery, care and management of elephants.
  • It is in the form of a dialogue between the sage Palakapya and King Romapada of Anga (Champa).
  • It is divided into four sections, dealing with major diseases, minor diseases, surgery and general care.
  • It is one of the earliest known works on veterinary medicine in the world.
  • Its exact date is uncertain; it may have been composed in the early centuries CE, though its traditions are older.

Legend of Palakapya:

  • According to legend, Palakapya was born of a sage and a female elephant, and grew up among elephants in the forests of the Himalayas, which gave him deep knowledge of them.
  • King Romapada of Anga captured some elephants that had been damaging crops, and Palakapya came to treat them, giving the knowledge that became this treatise.

Elephants in ancient India:

  • Elephants were important in war (the elephant corps was one of the four wings of the army), in royal processions, and in transport.
  • The Arthashastra mentions a superintendent of elephants (Hastyadhyaksha) and elephant forests (hastivana).
  • The "Gajashastra", another text attributed to Palakapya, deals with the characteristics and training of elephants.

Other texts on veterinary science:

  • "Shalihotra Samhita": a treatise on horses (ashva-ayurveda), attributed to Shalihotra; in many Indian languages, "salutri" or "salotri" means a horse doctor.
  • "Mrigayurveda": on animals.
  • "Vrikshayurveda": on plants and trees (by Surapala and others).

Elephants today:

  • The elephant is the "National Heritage Animal" of India (declared in 2010).
  • "Project Elephant" was launched in 1992.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Shalihotra wrote about horses.
  • ✗Charaka and Vagbhata wrote about human medicine.

Quick tip

Remember: Hastyayurveda = Palakapya (elephant medicine; dialogue with King Romapada of Anga); Shalihotra = horses; Vrikshayurveda = plants; Project Elephant = 1992.

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This topic covers famous scientists and their contributions, major inventions and their inventors, important discoveries in physics, chemistry and biology, Indian scientists and their work, and Nobel Prizes in science. Questions commonly match an invention with its inventor (the telephone with Alexander Graham Bell, and the World Wide Web with Tim Berners-Lee), a discovery with its scientist (penicillin with Alexander Fleming), or an Indian scientist with their work, such as C. V. Raman and the Raman effect, for which he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. Practise the scientists, inventions and discoveries questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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