Page 2 - Jan - March 2021

DID YOU KNOW?
When Akbar imprisoned
MONKEY MILESTONES Tulsidas, he wrote the Hanuman
Chalisa in jail. A large number
Monkeys are today seen all around us, historically, they have been spotted in of monkeys then attacked
a number of old texts, sculptures, paintings. Let us look at some of them!
the town, and left only when
Tulsidas was released.
HARAPPAN TOYS
MAURYAN MORALS
Little terracotta statues and toys
of monkeys, belonging to the King Ashoka is known for his ideas of
Harappan Civilization have been peace in society - not just limited to
found. Some historians believe people, but also aff ecting the animal
that this is suggestive of the fact kingdom. He made it illegal to kill
that monkeys were even kept as a number of animals for sacrifi ces,
pets by people at that time. There including monkeys. There is also a
is one fi gurine of a monkey sitting small statue of a monkey of the
with its hands holding its face. Mauryan period made of terracotta,
that was found in Mathura.

GUPTA WRITINGS PALLAVA SCULPTURE

The Gupta Period, also known as the This period saw a
Golden Age, saw a rise in sophisticated number of heavily
cultures - visual as well as textual. Animals carved sculptures and
were introduced into the traditional friezes. This can be seen
scriptures, as companions and in Mahabalipuram or
reincarnations of major Gods.
Mamallapuram. For
Monkeys were also one such
instance, the Descent
animal. Illustration by: Aastha Saxena, Class 7B,
Vanita Public School, Varanasi of the Ganga or Arjuna's
Penance is so detailed that one can also notice two
monkeys sitting and picking lice.
CHALUKYAN STORIES

In the 12th century, under King Vikramaditya VI, ACTIVITY: Monkey Kingdom!
Nayasena wrote the Dharmamritha – a book with fi fteen
fables that contained Jain teachings. One of the crucial Hampi, of the Vijayanagar Empire, is believed to be
Kishkinda the ancient monkey kingdom. Lord Hanuman
stories was ‘Serpent, tiger, monkey and the goldsmith
who had fallen in the old well’. was said to be born in Anjaneya hill in Hampi. Read
this story and others in the book A Walk from Anegundi
to Hampi by Jackfruit Research and Design Pvt. Ltd
Bangalore.

MUGHAL MEMOIRS

Babur wrote about monkeys in
his memoirs. He described their
appearance – yellow hair, white
face, short tail – and how they
were often trained to do tricks.
He wrote that “the Hindustanis
call them ‘bunder’.”

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