Matanga_Lila
Matanga Lila
Sanskrit treatise on elephants
Matanga Lila is a treatise in Sanskrit dealing with the life and behaviour of elephants. The title has been translated as Elephant-sport.[1] It is a treatise in 263 stanzas divided into twelve chapters of varying length. In the treatise, the author's name has been mentioned as Nilakantha, but nothing more is known about the author. From the popularity of the text in the region now comprising the modern state of Kerala in India, it is thought that the author might have lived there. Also, nothing definite is known about the date of the work.
Matanga Lila is a text about the Indian elephant science, which is a technical science dealing with the taming and training of elephants, and also the anatomy and zoological features of elephants.[2] Franklin Edgerton, who published a translation of the text to English, has argued that the content of the text represents the codification of orally-transmitted traditions of practical knowledge. In support of this contention he noted that the "signature texts such as the Matanga-Lila" contain over 130 technical words, for which there are no clear Sanskrit etymologies.[3]