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Patrick Olivelle

Patrick Olivelle

ThePrint

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India has elephants, China doesn’t. Credit goes to ancient India’s land ethics

Ancient India's land ethic—reflected in Kautilya’s Arthashastra—balanced military, economic, and religious priorities to preserve vast elephant...

24.02.2025 20

ThePrint

Patrick Olivelle

Draupadi, Chanakya didn’t tie hair—power, purity, rebellion of hair rituals in ancient India

Mendicants are warned not to seek alms from a woman with loose hair, which could indicate recent sexual intimacy or menstruation. A soldier letting...

02.12.2024 5

ThePrint

Patrick Olivelle

Pet or Pashu—ancient India knew which animals to eat. Then Manu made vegetarianism ideal

Manu has said: ‘A man who eats the meat of a particular animal is called an eater of that animal’s meat, whereas a fish-eater is an eater of every...

05.11.2024 30

ThePrint

Patrick Olivelle

Brahmins didn’t always wear the sacred thread. They adopted it at the start of the Common Era

When we scratch below the surface, many so-called immemorial or even eternal ideas, customs, and institutions are found to have historical origins...

02.10.2024 8

ThePrint

Patrick Olivelle

Ancient Indian medical system had an image crisis. A new name fixed it

Ayurvedic texts have evidence that the leaders of the medical profession were trying to clean up their image and get rid of the charlatans among them.

03.09.2024 5

ThePrint

Patrick Olivelle

Kautilya’s ‘Arthashastra’, Manu’s laws—Ancient India had rich literature on jurisprudence

Today, the plaintiff is expected to provide evidence in court. Jurists in ancient India saw the issue as more complex—the burden of proof was...

05.08.2024 2

ThePrint

Patrick Olivelle