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.

WWF works to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife, collaborating with partners from local to ...

The film highlights cultural traditions, with men painting the heads and trunks of elephants and adorning them in elaborate costumes for parades. Accompanying these beautifully decorated elephants ...