Article Written By EIH Researcher And Writer
Archi Biswas
From the mighty Great Dane to the tiny but fierce Chihuahua, dogs have time and again proved themselves to be man’s best friend.
In Ancient India, all souls were believed to be a part of the Supreme Soul. There was no distinction between human and animal souls. Even people in Ancient India believed that animals had the power to transform themselves and understand human language and emotions. Animals were also vahanas or vehicles of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, for instance, Lord Shiva rode the Nandi bull.
The earliest description of a domesticated dog in ancient India is shown in the prehistoric Bhimbhekta Cave Paintings. In the epic, Ramayana, gigantic sharp teeth Indian bred dogs were gifted by Kaikeyi’s father to Bharata. Dogs were used as guards and hunters since then. There are few mentions of dogs in the Mahabharata, for example, Janmejaya was cursed by a mother dog for hitting her puppies while they were performing the sacrifice, and Yudhisthira did not give up on the dog accompanying him on the journey to heaven after the death of the Pandava brothers and Draupadi.
Domesticated dogs have been a part of the Harappan Civilization. Traces of dog remains have been found in the Mature Harappan sites and it is said that it is closely related to the greyhound breed. Several breed dog figurines have been gathered from Harappan sites and among them, the most common ones are a type similar to Pariah and another similar to mastiff.
The vahana of the Hindu god Bhairava is a dog. He is one of Shiva’s eight companions and is sometimes considered one of his sides. The reason dogs are his vehicle is that they are widely known for their courage to protect their masters.
The animal is referred to as “Shvan” in the majority of Vedic passages, and it also has a significant role in Hindu mythology. They are also thought to guard the entrances to paradise and hell. Sarama, a female dog, is regarded as the breed’s matriarch. It is said that Sarama helped Lord Indra find his lost cows.
Dogs are mostly regarded as impure since they consume meat, are carnivorous, and are rarely kept as pets by Brahmanas. Furthermore, they are associated with death. It’s a bad omen, it’s said, when a dog howls. The Sarama, who resides in Svarga and is the mother of all dogs, is related to Yamraj through her son.
Dogs were utilised for protection, navigation, and hunting. According to the Brahmanas, hunting is considered to be sinful. However, the Kings employed the dogs. The Dharma Sutras consider dogs to be impure. Four dogs, which stand in for the four Vedas, are associated with even Lord Dattatreya. He was a beggar who engaged in religious begging and represents fairness and equality between all castes. Dogs are not allowed as pets among the Brahmanas. In some ceremonies, dogs were used in rituals like feeding them food to balance astrological doshas.
As the rigid caste system came into play, dogs became considered impure and untouchable. Before that dogs were considered sacred, respected and worshipped. In Buddhism, several Bodhisattvas were born as dogs.
From the prehistoric Bhimbekta paintings, which involved a dog tied to a leash to the beggar sage Dattatreya, dogs have accompanied each turn of history in Ancient India. Initially, intertwined with myth-making and moksha until untouchability and caste separated them like so much else. The mere existence of the caste system made them outcasts and portrayed them in a negative light. Dogs are respected and worshipped in many places such as Nepal during the ‘Kukur Tihar’ festival. This always alert four legged creature with wagging tails deserves respect, love and care.
Bibliography
Datta, Joydeep. “Ancient India and Dogs: From the Vedic Age to Harappan Civilization and Thereafter.” myIndiamyGlory, November 6, 2018. https://www.myindiamyglory.com/2018/02/20/ancient-india-dogs-vedic-age-harappan-civilization-thereafter/ .
Baskaran, S Theodore. “Dogs Are Charming Us Everywhere Now, but Where Were They in India’s History?” Scroll.in. Scroll.in, March 3, 2017. https://scroll.in/article/830695/dogs-are-charming-us-everywhere-now-but-where-were-they-in-indias-history .
Shah, Aditi. “Dogs through the Ages.” Live History India. undefined, June 29, 2018. https://www.livehistoryindia.com/story/eras/dogs-through-the-ages .
