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{{Infobox animal
| image = Diorama sculptural monument of Prasadi Hathi, Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib, Mehdiana, Ludhiana district, Punjab, India, 9 April 2023.jpg
| caption = Sculpture of Prasadi Hathi, [[Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib]], Mehdiana, Ludhiana district, Punjab, India, 9 April 2023
| death_date = 1705
| death_place = Anandpur
| death_cause = Mercy killing
| owner = [[Guru Gobind Singh]]
}}

'''Prasadi''', also known as '''Prasadi Hathi''', was an elephant that belonged to [[Guru Gobind Singh]] which was celebrated in the Sikh court.<ref name="The Encyclopedia">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Gurmukh |title=The Encyclopedia of Sikhism |publisher=Punjabi University, Patiala |year=2011 |isbn=978-8173803499 |editor-last=Singh |editor-first=Harbans |edition=3rd |volume=3 (M–R) |pages=357 |chapter=Prasadi Hathi}}</ref><ref name="huffpost">{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Sarbpreet |date=12 April 2017 |title=The magnificence of The Tav Prasad Savvaiye: A composition of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-magnificence-of-the-tav-prasad-savvaiye-a-composition_b_58eecb67e4b04cae050dc490 |access-date=23 July 2024 |website=HuffPost}}</ref> The elephant possessed notable white-streaks on certain areas of its body and could perform many tricks.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/>

== History ==
Sikh sources claim that a man named Ram Rai had served Guru Tegh Bahadur whilst he was travelling in Assam in the mid-1660's.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/> Ram Rai, whom was childless, would eventually be blessed by the Sikh guru.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/><ref name="huffpost"/> After the blessing of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Ram Rai had a son named Ratan Rai (also known as Rattan Chand), who would become a ''[[zamindar]]'' of Assam.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/><ref name="huffpost"/><ref name="History">{{Cite book |last=Gandhi |first=Surjit Singh |title=History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1606-1708 C.E |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors |year=2007 |isbn=9788126908585 |volume=2 }}</ref>{{Rp|page=716}} When Ratan Rai became an adult, he learnt that Guru Tegh Bahadur had been succeeded by his son, Guru Gobind Singh.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/> Wishing to see the guru, Ratan Rai travelled to Anandpur to pay tribute to the Sikh guru.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/> Ratan Rai came bearing gifts to bestow to the Sikh guru, these gifts included a young and trained elephant, five horses whom belonged to a rare breed, and a five-in-one weapon (a contraption that contained a pistol, sword, lance, dagger, and a club).<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/><ref name="huffpost"/> Other gifts included a special throne, a drinking cup, and jewels.<ref name="huffpost"/> Thus, the young elephant was gifted to Guru Gobind Singh by the Assamese chief.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/> Sikh accounts claim the Assamese chief requested that Guru Gobind Singh never let go of possessing the elephant.<ref name="huffpost"/>
[[File:Photograph of Gurdwara Rewalsar Sahib, by Dhanna Singh 'Patialvi', 1934.jpg|thumb|Photograph of Gurdwara Rewalsar Sahib, by Dhanna Singh 'Patialvi', 1934. According to legend, the guru was gifted the elephant at this location.]]
[[Kavi Santokh Singh|Kavi Santokh Singh's]] ''[[Suraj Prakash]]'' narrates that Guru Gobind Singh named the young elephant Prasadi.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/> Prasadi had distinguishing characteristics, its head bore a round, white mark (like a [[Tilaka|tilak]]) and there were white-streaks running along its trunk and back.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nara |first=Ishar Singh |title=Safarnama and Zafarnama: Being an Account of the Travels of Guru Gobind Singh and the Epistle of Moral Victory Written by Him to Emperor Aurangzeb |publisher=Nara Publications |year=1985 |pages=22–23}}</ref> Prasadi also knew tricks, such as saluting the guru, washing the guru's feet, applying a saffron mark on the guru's forehead, waving a fly-whisk or fan (''chaur sahib'') over the guru, escort the guru at night whilst holding a torch in its trunk, and it also could retrieve arrows that had been fired by the guru.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/>

Fame of the elephant grew in the [[Hill States of India|Punjabi Hills region]] and the ''[[raja]]'' of [[Bilaspur State (princely state)|Kahlur State]], [[Bhim Chand (Kahlur)|Bhim Chand]], drew jealous of the guru's possession of such a well-trained beast, after witnessing the animal during a visit to the guru.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/> Whilst visiting the guru, Prasadi, elaborately decorated, was displayed before Bhim Chand, who was seated under an expensive Kabuli tent that had been gifted by Duni Chand, a Sikh from Afghanistan.<ref name="huffpost"/> Bhim Chand attempted to obtain the elephant through scheming, by requesting the guru lend him the elephant for the purpose of displaying it during his son's, Ajmer Chand, wedding.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/><ref name="huffpost"/> According to Kesar Singh Chibber's account of the events, the Sikh guru replied that Prasadi was originally a gift and gifts should not be loaned-out.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nayyar |first=Gurbachan Singh |title=The Sikhs in Ferment: Battles of the Sikh Gurus |publisher=National Book Organisation |year=1992 |isbn=9788185135571 |pages=62}}</ref> The Sikh guru was aware that this was a ploy of Bhim Chand in-order to gain permanent possession of Prasadi.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yasmin |first=Robina |title=Muslims under Sikh Rule in the Nineteenth Century: Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Religious Tolerance |date=13 January 2022 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=9780755640348 |pages=32}}</ref> After his non-military attempts at taking possession of the elephant failed, Bhim Chand eventually launched a military attack on the guru at Anandpur over the matter of the elephant.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/> Bhim Chand's attack failed to gain possession of Prasadi.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/>
[[File:Painting of Guru Gobind Singh mounted up for a battle atop of an elephant, circa late 17th to early 18th century.jpg|thumb|Painting of Guru Gobind Singh and Sahibzada Ajit Singh mounted atop of an elephant, circa late 17th to early 18th century]]
Guru Gobind Singh utilized Prasadi in his battles.<ref name="History"/>{{Rp|page=716}} However, Prasadi was not the only elephant possessed by the Sikh guru, another elephant had been donated by the local Sikh congregants (''sangat'') of [[Dhaka]] to the guru.<ref name="History"/>{{Rp|page=716}}

According to the ''Gurbilas Dasvin Patshahi'' by Sukha Singh, Prasadi became emaciated during the 1705 siege of Anandpur and eventually was killed by the Sikhs on the order of the guru to end the animal's suffering.<ref name="The Encyclopedia"/> Some sources claim that the drunken elephant slain by [[Bachittar Singh]] at [[Lohgarh (Bilaspur)|Lohgarh Fort]] was Prasadi.<ref name="History"/>{{Rp|pages=816–817}}

== Popular culture ==
[[Vir Singh (writer)|Vir Singh's]] 1925 work, ''Sri Guru Kalgidhar Chamatkar'', contains the tale of Prasadi, describing the elephant as "jet black animal whose forehead was white like ivory".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Vir |date=28 February 2017 |others=Translated by Bimal Kaur |title=Raja Rattan Rai: Part I |url=https://www.sikhchic.com/article-detail.php?id=6771&cat=11 |access-date=23 July 2024 |website=sikhchic}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />
{{Guru Gobind Singh}}

[[Category:Individual elephants in India]]
[[Category:18th-century animal deaths]]
[[Category:17th-century individual animals]]
[[Category:Individual Asian elephants]]

Prasadi (elephant) - Revision history

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