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.

0:46 Elephant paints with trunk at Hungarian travelling circus BUDAPEST – Paintings created by an Indian elephant who ... that are thought to be forced to paint, Sandra does it by herself ...

LOS ANGELES – A city agency that allowed a spray-painted elephant to appear at an art exhibit is now saying ... This isn’t a religious ceremony in India.” Tai’s owner denied that the ...