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Thread on War Elephants in India
Elephants were likely first tamed in Mohenjo-Daro in 24th-18th centuries BCE in the Indus Valley. Elephants existed in West Asia, South Asia, SE Asia & Africa. Since the elephant is a mild animal, war elephants had to be trained.
Elephants were likely first tamed in Mohenjo-Daro in 24th-18th centuries BCE in the Indus Valley. Elephants existed in West Asia, South Asia, SE Asia & Africa. Since the elephant is a mild animal, war elephants had to be trained.
War elephants were always males, bigger and more aggressive than females and had tusks. Female elephants served as haulers. Lust for Ivory drove native elephant populations in Syria, Mesopotamia to extinction by the 8th century BCE. However, they were abundant in India.
Ancient authors said the Indian elephants were bigger & stronger than the African ones. African elephants were reluctant to fight them. In the battle of Raphia (217 BCE), the african forest elephants of Ptolemy IV of Egypt refused to fight the Indian elephants of Antiochus.
But modern day african elephants are indeed bigger (3-4 m tall) and weigh 4-7 tons while the Indian ones are 2-3.5 m tall and weight 2-5 tons. This can be explained by the fact that the African elephant has two subspecies –– the savannah and bush elephant.
The forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) was the one used in these wars and called the african elephant. This is the smallest of all the elephants. (2-2.5 m tall)
According to Kautilya in Arthashastra, 20 years was the minimal call-up age for a war elephant & 40 years was the optimum age for combat. A 30 year old was mediocre. So it took, 22 years to rear an elephant. This was expensive. Hence, elephants were caught as adults in the wild.
Once an elephant was caught, it was tamed by depriving it of food & then either trained as a war elephant or a draught animal. Kautilya said war elephants were trained to jump over fences, ropes, trample enemies & endure pain, loud sounds.
The elephant's driver (mahout) had a lot of sway. He decided the battle. Indian drivers were valued above all in mediterranean armies. All drivers were called Indians. A mahout's authority was unquestionable. Elephants also loved their drivers dearly & rushed to defend them
Elephants were living tanks & had a crew of 2-10 men. Bows, arrows & javelins were used by the crew. When Alexander of Macedon invaded India, even King Porus (a ruler of a small state in modern Punjab) had 130 war elephants.
Mauryans under Chandragupta had 9000 war elephants.
Mauryans under Chandragupta had 9000 war elephants.
Kautilya (2.2) prescribed death penalty for an elephant killer & said victory of kings in battle depends on elephants (as they can destroy fortifications & encampments of enemy + armies). He also says कालिङ्गाङ्गरजाः श्रेष्ठाः (elephants of Kalinga, Anga are the best).
Kautilya also mentions how all elephants had a ground support unit with 15 infantrymen & 5 horsemen. Similar units were allocated to every chariot. Showing chariots and war elephants were war machines of an equal class then.
Elephants were often covered in chain-mail armor or just thick quilt but this was expensive. Medieval kingdoms used them a lot too. Tughluq had 3000, Akbar had 6000. Nizam of Hyderabad had 2000. It was the advent of artillery that made elephants useless. Rifle fire didn't hurt.
Elephants were often used with towers on their backs that could house up to 10 troops. Agni Purana even describes a tower in detail: 50 fingers (3ft 1 in) wide, 3 cubits
(4ft 5in) long, made of wood secreting 'milk juice' when incised, its outside painted & decorated with gold.
(4ft 5in) long, made of wood secreting 'milk juice' when incised, its outside painted & decorated with gold.
In the 16th and 17th century, bows and arrows used by the elephant crew were replaced by firearms such as gajnal (a light cannon of light calibre musket fitted on the back) & used in Akbar's army.
Sharpened goads with a pointed hook called an "ankusha" was the main tool for controlling an elephant. The ankusha first appeared in India in the 5th - 6th centuries BCE.
The war elephants had 5 major functions. Breaking walls and being used as siege weapons was one of the most important ones. Indian castles have spikes on their doors to adapt to this tactic.
