Tracing the journey of India's animal fables

A bestseller for almost 2000 years, Kalila wa Dimna is a collection of 15 animal fables featuring two jackals, the eponymous Kalila and Dimna, as narrators from the court of the animal king, Bankala the lion. Their adventures with other anthropomorphised animals offer allegories for human morality and life. While the first Arabic version of the Kalila wa Dimna dates to the eighth century, it is inspired by a collection of stories that go back even further — the Panchatantra, the origins of which have been traced to the Indian subcontinent in 200 BCE.

As the story goes, King Amarashakti entrusted his wise old advisor, identified as Vishnusharma in the prelude of the Panchatantra, to teach the principles of just governance and conduct of life to his three sons. Vishnusharma wrote a series of stories centred around animal protagonists to impart lessons on holistic and honourable conduct, which together form the Panchatantra.

Centuries later, in around 550 CE, a Persian physician, Borzuya, was sent to India by the Sassanid king, Khosrow I, to find a plant that could revive the dead. Borzuya learned that what he was seeking was actually the Panchatantra, which he then translated into Pahlavi, a Middle Persian language. In around 750 CE, Persian scholar Abdullah Ibn al-Muqaffa translated the Pahlavi text into Arabic. Titled Kalila wa Dimna, it is considered to be the first masterpiece of Arabic literary prose by scholars. It became very popular throughout the Islamic world and beyond. From the 10th to the 14th centuries, its translations into Old Spanish, Greek, Latin, Old Church Slavic, German, Hebrew, Turkish and other languages were often patronised and overseen by royal courts. Over time, this repertoire of stories inspired other ‘frame’ narratives, tales embedded within a larger story — Boccaccio’s 14th-century The Decameron, Chaucer’s 14th-century The Canterbury Tales, and the African American oral tradition of Br’er Rabbit, among others.

Illustrations of Kalila wa Dimna appear across different medieval and early modern folios. There is an illustrated episode of an innocent bull being killed by the king lion while Kalila and Dimna watch in shock. Another depicts the king of crows conferring with his royal council. These narratives offer lessons on greed, friendship, loyalty, leadership, kindness and more.

Each translation and adaptation of the Kalila wa Dimna was created in different socio-political contexts, and scholars contend that the works, while remaining true to the spirit of the original, also reflect the specific concerns of the time. We can read all its variants as part of a network of transformations and cultural exchanges that took place in history. This process continues today with versions of both the Kalila wa Dimna and the Panchatantra still being sold as fables and stories for children all over the world.

Discover Indian Art is a monthly column that delves into fascinating stories on art from across the subcontinent, curated by the editors of the MAP Academy. Find them on Instagram as @map_academy