The Royal Hunt

The title of this chapter is borrowed from allsen’s book (2006), which continues ‘in eurasian history’. Royal hunting is of great antiquity1 and has been of great human social value, eliminating dangerous predators and alimentary competitors; in particular it has a special relationship with state formation (ibid.:175-85). it has been constituted as an international royal culture across the eurasian landmass; ‘courts and cultures with little direct knowledge of one another nonetheless shared a similar hunting style’, and ‘the vast majority of the royal houses and aristocracies of eurasia made some use of the chase in the pursuit and maintenance of their social and political power’ (ibid.:11, 14; compare 265-73). drawing on a large amount of data, allsen builds up an impressionistic picture of that international culture, which this chapter will draw upon in introducing the topic of hunting stories in the Mahbhrata. allsen uses various indian sources, but does not mention the Mahbhrata; nonetheless, much of what he says resonates strongly with the image of hunting it gives.