ABSTRACT
Early modern India was literally built on the backs of elephants. It was through their labour that India was transformed from the crumbled remnants of the Mughal Empire to a colonial Imperial state.The elephant was just one of the many animals upon which early modern India was built-other important animals worthy of study include the camel, the horse, the mule and the bullock. But there is a case to be made for beginning with the elephant because it had a diverse role that overlaps the roles of these other animals but is duplicated by none. Moreover, there were issues unique to elephants because they were generally born wild and then domesticated rather than being bred like all of the other animals listed. Additionally, the role of, and attitudes towards elephants uniquely impacted the species.
