Indian War Elephants

Timeline

1. c. 1400–1410Vijayanagara Empire · Deccan PlateauThe Vijayanagara royal household established elephant stables and a system of elephant handlers, capturing wild elephants from the forests and training them for saddling; wooden towers were erected on the elephants' backs to hold archers and spearmen, incorporated into the royal household's elite direct-command forces.
2. 1411–1420Deccan Plateau battlefield · Deccan PlateauDuring the reign of Deva Raya I in this period, Vijayanagara armies frequently deployed columns of war elephants to charge enemy formations in wars against the Bahmani Sultanate; elephant corps operating with cavalry and infantry became the most formidable shock force on the South Indian battlefield.
3. 1500–1565Deccan Plateau · Deccan PlateauWith the spread of firearms, war elephants were easily frightened and out of control by gunfire, and maintenance costs were high; South Indian polities gradually reduced the scale of their elephant corps, and war elephants shifted from a main assault arm to ceremonial and symbolic military use.