War Elephant Corps of the Delhi Sultanate

Timeline

1. 1200–1320North Indian plains · Ganges PlainFrom the Delhi Sultanate's early period, war elephants inherited from Indian native and Ghaznavid traditions were used to break infantry lines and for psychological deterrence; each elephant carried a mahout, guards, and archers in a tower, maintained by the sultan directly or by provincial governors, serving as a 'mobile fortress' in land warfare.
2. 1341–1350Delhi Sultanate, throughout · Delhi SultanateIn the 1340s under Muhammad bin Tughluq, the war elephant corps participated in suppressing Deccan and Bengal rebellions and in foreign expeditions; court records and Persian sources note that elephant units were drawn up in formation, coordinating with cavalry, but the large herds also imposed supply and mobility burdens, becoming a focus of the kingdom's finances and logistics.
3. 1350–1500Indian subcontinent · IndiaDynasties after the Tughluqs still maintained war elephant corps, but facing firearms and more flexible cavalry tactics, elephants shifted from main assault to supporting shock; the Mughal Empire inherited and improved elephant organization and training systems, remaining an important component of South Asian royal military power into the sixteenth century.