The Elephant God Of India

There is no doubt and western historians accept the fact the Hindu civilization is perhaps the oldest in the world. It predates by almost 4500 years the Christian era, which really starts with the birth of Christ. Equally accepted is the fact that the elephant is closely interwoven in Hindu ethos and culture. The elephant has been used as an instrument of war and also as a herald for temple worship. This fascination of the Hindu with the elephant has to be understood in the context of one of the prominent Hindu Gods Ganesh having a trunk as a nose. In addition the abundance of the elephant during all periods of history to the present day is also a factor that has made the elephant a distinct part of Hindu culture.
The ancient Indian epic the Mahabharata makes the first mention of the elephant as an instrument of war. The battle between the Pandavas and the kauravas on the plains of kuruskshetra a town about 100 miles from Delhi is the first recorded use of the elephant as a part of military arsenal. Subsequently the elephant became the main stay of Hindu armies. The commander in chief usually went to battle mounted on an elephant. The elephant was a decisive element in battles fought on plains and without gun powder. It must be recorded that the Hindus were the first to use the elephant for war and the last to discard it as well.