The Not-so Boring Story Of The Indian Wild Boar

Varaha avatar of Lord Vishnu.
Image credit: The Ravi Udaya Vijaya Press Ghatkoper, Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Indian wild boar, often abhorred, is but a very powerful and highly resilient animal that can even bring down the mighty tiger with a sharp jab of its tusks digging into the predator's internal organs. This hardy animal has managed to survive the test of time but currently faces immense wrath from farmer communities in different parts of India. With humans gnawing away at the wild habitats of these boars, more of these animals are resorting to raiding farmers' crops, threatening the livelihood of many. Human-wildlife conflict cases involving wild boars are thus on the rise. However, unlike today, where abuses are hurled using its name, and demands are high across several Indian states to declare it a "vermin species," the wild boar occupied an extremely revered position in ancient India. These animals were not just widely respected but worshipped in the form of various deities. From the Varaha avatar of Lord Vishnu to Panjurli of the Tulu people, portrayed in the film Kantara, the wild boar is much more than a wild species playing an important ecological role as prey for predators in the forests of India. It is embedded in Indian culture, an integral part of it.

The Indian Wild Boar

An Indian wild boar in Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Image credit: Oishimaya Sen Nag

The Indian wild boar or Sus scrofa cristatus, the wild boar subspecies widely distributed across India, can be easily distinguished from other wild boar subspecies by its dorsal crest of hair made of erectile bristles. The long bristles on its cheeks and jaw also enhance its appearance, giving it a bearded look. The immense strength of the animal is packed into its small but bulky frame of over 100 kg, a length of around 5 feet, and a shoulder width of about 3 feet. 

Its feeding habits have probably aided its survival to this day. It is an omnivore with a varied diet, including plant and animal matter. In India, it is known as one of the tiger's favorite prey species. But even the tiger has to work hard to capture this formidable prey, occasionally even losing its own life in the process.

Not much is yet known about these boars, given the fact that they are just treated as second-class forest denizens, as prey for charismatic predators like tigers. However, what is known is that they are not to be taken lightly at all. Wild boars are capable of delivering fatal blows to humans with their razor-sharp tusks. Recently, a woman died while saving her 11-year-old daughter from a wild boar attack in Chattisgarh, but the boar also succumbed to the woman's attack with an axe, both ripping each other apart. Such incidences are, however, extremely rare, but cases of crop depredation by wild boars are not.

Wildlife Or Vermin?

Note: Notice the tusks of the Indian wild boar in the above video. Video by: Oishimaya Sen Nag

In recent times, media mentions of wild boars have become quite frequent, and not for good reasons. Farmers across many Indian states have complained about wild boar bands raiding their farmlands and damaging their crops, leading to significant economic losses for them. Many have demanded that these animals be declared as "vermins," and their killing be permitted. The issue has been a subject of much debate, with a section of experts supporting the demand and others vehemently opposing the same. According to supporters, the culling of wild boars would ease tensions between villagers and forest department officials and also protect farming communities from economic losses. However, others argue that a license to kill these wild animals would be heavily misused, leading to the indiscriminate killing of not just wild boars but also other species. There have been several instances where traps and electric wires laid by farmers and poachers targeting wild boars, although currently illegal, have claimed the lives of other species, including tigers. If such killings are given free license, experts feel many more such deaths will follow, upsetting the entire ecosystem.

One of the primary reasons cited for the growth of wild boar related crop depredation cases is the wanton destruction of wild habitats. With little natural food and cover left, boars are forced to venture into human-dominated areas and agricultural lands, consuming whatever they find edible. Dumping of garbage around forest land also attracts wild boars to such sites. 

Climate change also has a role to play. For example, wild boar sightings in Kashmir have been soaring over the past few years. The animal that was introduced for hunting in the region by a ruler in the 19th century went almost extinct by the 1980s. No efforts were made to restore wild boar populations in Kashmir as it was considered invasive. However, it is believed that rising temperatures in the region are responsible for the growing number of wild boars that threaten not only the crops in the area but also the state animal hangul or Kashmir stag by competing for resources with this critically endangered species.

Interestingly, however, while the wild boars are persecuted today for destroying croplands by digging into the soil and uprooting plants with their tusks, it is possibly this immense strength of their tusks and their prolific breeding rate that made them the symbols of agriculture and fertility in ancient India.

The Subject Of Worship

A temple dedicated to Panjurli in southern Karnataka.

The recent Kannada-language feature film Kantara was a huge success and was dubbed into many languages and watched across theaters in India and abroad. The film revolved around the worship of the Panjurli, a local deity of the Tulu-speaking people in the southernwestern coastal area of the country. Panjurli in Tulu means a wild boar offspring and is associated with many legends of the region. Although the origin of Panjurli worship is not fully traced, it is believed that its initial worship in an animistic form stemmed from the animal's ability to destroy crops and the need to appease it. 

Panjurli mask for the Bhuta Kola, a festival surrounding the worship of Panjurli. Image credit: Wmpearl Wikimedia Commons.

Later, Panjurli was also associated with Hinduism. As the tale goes, it is said that Goddess Parvati had a young wild boar as a pet. However, it was very mischievous and would destroy Lord Shiva's coveted gardens. Angry at this behavior, Shiva decided to end its life when Parvati intervened and requested that Shiva forgive her beloved pet. Thus, Shiva spared the wild boar but sent it to the Earth as a divine spirit and tasked it to protect people on Earth, giving form to Panjurli.

However, worship of the wild boar is not limited to just Panjurli. In 2022, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered what they consider is possibly the world's largest Varaha sculpture, dating to around the 9th to 11th centuries in Madhya Pradesh's Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

Ancient sculpture of Varaha with the asura at his feet and Goddess Bhudevi on his tusks at Aihole temple complex in Karnataka. Image credit: Ms Sarah Welch via Wikimedia Commons.

According to Hindu mythology, Varaha is one of Lord Vishnu's avatars, where he takes the form of a wild boar. Varaha then defeats the asura/demon Hiranayaksha and, with the help of his tusks, lifts the Earth in the form of Goddess Bhudevi from the cosmic ocean where Hiranayaksha had trapped the Earth. This feat exhibited by the Varaha avatar can be compared to the wild boar's ability to bore deep into the soil in search of the roots of plants. Then there is also Goddess Varahi, who is considered to be the feminine energy of Varaha with the head of a sow (female wild boar). She is worshipped at night using Tantric ritualistic practices. The introduction of other cultures and religions in India also impacted how wild boars were perceived. Some cultures associate members of the swine family with a lack of cleanliness and diseases whose influence led to these animals being viewed with disregard. 

Today, wild boars in India are treated with mixed feelings. While in some places, farmers are after their blood, in others, they are worshipped as village deities. While some hurl curses in their name, others decorate idols featuring boars with garlands. From the conservation perspective, however, their role remains as significant as always - an essential component of the food chain, contributing to the proper functioning of the same. 

Written by: Dr. Oishimaya Sen Nag