Locked-away 1876 horse med manual unearthed

Alocked almirah of a govt building in Tikamgarh district has yielded a rare handwritten manuscript from the late 19th century that blends Vedic traditions with a structured system of horse medicine, offering a glimpse into India’s advanced equine science heritage.

The manuscript was discovered during a routine inspection led by Tikamgarh collector Vivek Kshotriya, who said the find highlights the need to systematically unlock and document archival material lying unused in govt premises.

“There is a vast repository of knowledge hidden in such spaces. Our effort is to identify, preserve and bring it into the public domain,” he said. Officials said the handwritten text, dated to Samvat 1933 (1876 AD), is a composite work combining spiritual invocations with a detailed veterinary treatise on horses, reflecting a time when animal care was both a scientific discipline and a cultural priority.

What adds to its historical value is the paper itself. The manuscript is written on high-quality imported British laid paper bearing a clear watermark of “T H Saunders 1886”, indicating it was produced in England and used for important records during the colonial period.

The presence of the Britannia-style watermark and fine laid lines suggests the document was created using durable, premium material, typically reserved for official texts. Kshotriya said the administration has moved quickly to secure and conserve the document.

“This is not just a manuscript, it is a structured knowledge system. We are ensuring proper preservation and facilitating expert study so that its scientific value is fully understood,” he said. The district administration has decided to digitise the manuscript and upload it on the Gyan Bharatam Mission app.

The text, titled Madan Vatika and attributed to Thakur Madan Singh, is a detailed manual on horses (Ashwa Vishayik Vichar). It documents regional breeds from Kabul, Multan, Punjab and Kashmir, linking them to terrain and performance, an early form of functional classification. It lays out precise physical standards, from head length measured in “anguls” to neck structure, gait and tail form, to identify high-quality horses.

The manuscript goes further, offering a clinical framework for equine care. It prescribes methods to deter mine age through dental examination, assess health via pulse (Nadi Pariksha), and diagnose diseases through observation of eyes, tongue and behaviour.

It categorises ailments such as respiratory disorders, digestive conditions (shula), and fevers (jvara) based on traditional dosha theory, alongside remedies ranging from herbal formulations to procedural interventions like bloodletting.
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