The bovines that helped win battles

The Commissariat cattle farm at Hunsur, India in 1899, where Amrut Mahal and other breeds were maintained. Photo courtesy: The Queen's Empire/Cassell and Co, London

In narratives of history, amidst the glorification of dynasties, their rulers and warriors, the stories of the various war animals which played a pivotal role in winning battles for their commanders are left unacknowledged. One such victim of anthropocentric history is found in the tale of our own Amrut Mahal cattle.

The fourth volume of the Mysore Gazetteer notes that the Amrut Mahal cattle, unlike other cattle breeds, are on par with horses. They are active, strong and very hardy. Their physical characteristics, including sturdy limbs and tough feet, make them well-suited for long journeys at a quick pace. The breed is also said to age slowly, making it well-suited for the army establishment.

This is why, perhaps, these creatures were instrumental in the military success of Tipu Sultan. In the book ‘Tipu Sultan’s Mysore - An Economic Study’, M H Gopal, a scholar who served the royal family of Mysore, gives an account of Tipu’s army in 1790. It records 700 elephants, 6,000 camels, one lakh buffaloes, two lakh swords and 2,000 cannons being used. Among these, Amrut Mahal cows and buffaloes alone amounted to 4 lakh. This illustrates the importance given to this breed of cattle in Tipu’s army.

The gallantry

At the time, the very name of Tipu caused tremors in the British Army. His military strategy in advancing and retreating was not only complemented by, but was also based strongly on the power of the Amrut Mahal bullocks.

Out of his many expeditions, the Siege of Bednore evidenced the role of the Amrut Mahal in a grand manner. During the war, when Tipu set out his campaign in the Carnatic region, the British army had captured fortresses of the Mysore kingdom on the Malabar coast. Owing to the speed and strength of Amrut Mahal, it took a matter of a few days for Tipu to reach Bednore with his army of men. Having arrived undetected, Tipu’s army overcame the British deployments outside the town in a few minutes.

The Mysore Gazetteer records the praise of Mark Cubbon, once the Chief Commissioner of Mysore, for the Amrut Mahal cattle. During the Third Anglo-Mysore War, it was the Amrut Mahal establishment which made a 63-mile march possible for Tipu and his army, within two days.

Cubbon also recognised the significance of Amrut Mahal cattle in the armies of Hyder Ali, as well as those of British Generals Pritzler and Campbell.

After the final Anglo-Mysore war, Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, ordered the protection of the Amrut Mahal establishments. Wellesley also expressed his regret at not having the assistance of Amrut Mahal in the Peninsular War in Spain. In 1907, at the wishes of the Duke of Bedford, two Amrut Mahal cows were also sent to England.

Mystery of origin

While these cattle have played a significant role in the past, their emergence is still a mystery. However, historians have a theory.

It is said that during the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire, the viceroy in Srirangapatna some time between 1572 and 1600, imported the Hallikar breed of cows from Vijayanagara. He set up an establishment called ‘karuhatti’, from which dairy products were obtained. The same practice was followed by the Wadiyars and they also assigned ‘kavals’ (grazing grounds) for the cattle. During the rule of Chikkadevaraja Wadiyar, the system was added as a department of administration, called ‘Benne Chavadi’. However, during the rule of Tipu Sultan, it was renamed Amrut Mahal.

Nanjaraj Urs, a historian from Mysuru, says, “When Tipu organised the cattle, he also added breeds from Chitradurga and Hagalavadi. The crossing of Hallikar with one of these breeds might have ended up forming Amrut Mahal.”

“Amrut Mahal cattle were a perfect ally for Tipu; they made a deadly combination,” he adds.

The decline

In the past century, efforts made to save Amrut Mahal cattle have fallen short. The grazing grounds for the animals were an easy target for encroaching and mining.

“Post independence, there has been a lot of neglect in safeguarding Amrut Mahal kavals,” says Leo Saldanha, an activist. There were around 240 kavals at the time of independence across the state spread over four lakh acres, according to the Amrut Mahal Cattle Breeding and Training Centre in Ajjampura. By the early 2000s, this number had dwindled to a mere 63 kavals spanning about 68,440 acres.