Indian forest officer salutes elephants on this Engineer’s Day: ‘Ancient India’s temple builders’

• Shubham
• 15 September, 2022

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By: Shubham Ghosh

India observes Engineer’s Day on September 15 every year to honour its renowned civil engineer Mokshagundam Vishveshwaraya (1860-1962) who was born on this day along with other engineers of the country. On this day, work and accomplishments of engineers are recalled and they are motivated to raise the bar further.

However, while people were remembering human engineers on Engineer’s Day this year, an Indian Forest Service officer named Parveen Kaswan decided to honour somebody else. He decided to honour elephants instead by calling them civil engineers of forests, noting that their footfalls make roadways in the bush. He also said that the jumbos were the builders of temples in ancient India.

In a tweet, Kaswan said, “Do you know #elephants are civil engineers of #forests, they build roads with their footsteps. They built rivers while walking in them. They are #farmers who help in regeneration and help in checking soil erosion.

Elephants were also used in ancient temple construction to transport large stones and other construction supplies.

“In ancient India they were temple builders,” he added, mentioning the hashtag #EngineersDay and posting a picture of three elephants in a jungle.

Do you know #elephants are civil engineers of #forests, they build roads with their footsteps. They built rivers while walking in them. They are #farmers who help in regeneration and help in checking soil erosion.

In ancient India they were temple builders. #EngineersDay pic.twitter.com/FPep5dvBhf

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) September 15, 2022

The World Wildlife Fund calls elephants “important ecosystem engineers”.

“They make pathways in dense forested habitat that allow passage for other animals. An elephant footprint can also enable a micro-ecosystem that, when filled with water, can provide a home for tadpoles and other organisms,” it added.

Elephants are also called the ecosystem’s engineers as they destroy shrubs and disperse seeds. They play an important role in climate and conservation strategies.