This story appears in the August 2013 issue of National Geographic magazine. The royalty of India—Hindu and Muslim—understood long ago that power was best wielded from the back of an elephant.

"Not only is this public art, but its art with a message ... of 200 indigenous artisans living within India's Nilgiri ...

The object I have chosen is an Elephant bell from India. It was my Grandfather's, pictured here, who, with his family were part of the expatriate community who made up the "Raj" in India before ...

Despite the hardships, elephant numbers gradually recovered due to favorable climate conditions, high birth rates, and a reduction in death rates. Ancient Indian art, such as sculptures at the ...