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Books > Earth & environment > Geography > Historical geography
One summer evening in 1918, a leopard wandered into the gardens of
an Indian palace. Roused by the alarms of servants, the prince's
eldest son and his entourage rode elephant-back to find and shoot
the intruder. An exciting but insignificant vignette of life under
the British Raj, we may think. Yet to the participants, the hunt
was laden with symbolism. Carefully choreographed according to
royal protocols, recorded by scribes and commemorated by court
artists, it was a potent display of regal dominion over men and
beasts alike. Animal Kingdoms uncovers the far-reaching cultural,
political, and environmental importance of hunting in colonial
India. Julie E. Hughes explores how Indian princes relied on their
prowess as hunters to advance personal status and solidify power.
Believing that men and animals developed similar characteristics by
inhabiting a shared environment, they sought out quarry-fierce
tigers, agile boar-with traits they hoped to cultivate in
themselves. Largely debarred from military activities under the
British, they also used the hunt to establish meaningful links with
the historic battlefields and legendary deeds of their ancestors.
Hunting was not only a means of displaying masculinity and heroism,
however. Indian rulers strove to present a picture of privileged
ease, perched in luxuriously outfitted shooting boxes and
accompanied by lavish retinues. Their interest in being sumptuously
sovereign was crucial to elevating the prestige of prized game.
Animal Kingdoms will inform historians of the subcontinent with new
perspectives and captivate readers with descriptions of its
magnificent landscapes and wildlife.
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