THE PONTIFF'S INDIAN PET

When an elephant was taken from Kochi to Rome and eventually became a favourite of Pope Leo X

- NIRMAL JOVIAL

March 19, 1514; morning: João de Faria, PortuM gal's envoy to the Holy See-the central governing body of the Catholic Church-toiled feverishly over an extraordinary task. Before Rome awoke, the jurisconsult supervised the grooming of an Indian white elephant, an "exotic" marvel meant to match the imaginations of Pope Leo X. The four-year-old animal, having endured a gruelling journey from "Cochim" (Kochi) in distant India, was bathed in fragrant waters, its majestic form draped in resplendent caparisons. De Faria ensured no trace of exhaustion betrayed the elephant's grand arrival. Everything had to be perfect.

De Faria was part of a Portuguese mission on its way to meet the pope; the colonial power wanted his blessings for its expansion plans. The entourage represented King Manuel I, under whose reign Vasco da Gama made the invaluable discovery of the sea route to India. Manuel had chosen the most unusual exotic birds and animals-parrots, parakeets, rare dogs, Indian fowl-from his royal menagerie as a gift for the pope.

But the crown jewel was the Indian white elephant. Elephants had not graced the streets of Rome since the era of the Roman Caesars, so the Eternal City buzzed with excitement as the Portuguese delegation began its procession.

As they neared the bridge to Castel Sant'Angelo, a Roman-era fortress used by the popes, cannons were fired in their welcome. As he suffered from myopia and presbyopia, Pope Leo X used a "sighting tube" to watch the parade. When the elephant neared the tower, it paused, knelt and bowed its head in reverence.

The pope laughed like a child. What followed amazed him even more: the elephant took in water from a nearby trough with its trunk and sprayed it high enough to drench the pope and his entourage. The Indian elephant, christened Annone by the Romans (or Hanno in its anglicised form), captured the pope's heart and became his most cherished pet.