An Army Without Elephants Is Like a Kingdom Without a King

There is no military doctrine so uniquely Indian as the use of the war-elephant. These magnificent animals dominated Indian battlefields for over two thousand years, and Indian war-elephants fought as far afield as Greece, Africa, and Southeast Asia. But how were they actually used in battle? What were their weaknesses? How were they trained, what did they eat, how were they decorated? What do they tell us about the military culture and geopolitics of medieval India? Anirudh and Aditya dissect one of the most unique battles in South Indian history - the Battle of Koppam in the Chola-Chalukya Wars, 1054 CE - in search of answers.

Check out our analysis of the Chola-Chalukya rivalry and the remarkable career of Someshvara I Chalukya in this podcast, Political Resilience and the Chalukyas: Lessons from 11th Century India (just search for it, and you should find it in every app).

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You can follow Anirudh Kanisetti on his twitter handle @AKanisetti and on his instagram handle @aniryuddha.

You can follow Aditya Ramanathan on his twitter handle @adityascripts and on his instagram handle @adityaramanathan.

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