Howdah

A howdah, or houdah (haudā), derived from the Arabic هودج (hawdaj), which means "bed carried by a camel", also known as hathi howdah (hāthī haudā, हाथी हौदा), is a carriage which is positioned on the back of an elephant, or occasionally some other animal such as a camel, used most often in the past to carry wealthy people during progresses or processions, hunting or in warfare. It was also a symbol of wealth for the owner and as a result might be elaborately decorated, even with expensive gemstones. Notable howdahs are the Golden Howdah, on display at the Napier Museum at Thiruvananthapuram, which was used by the Maharaja of Travancore and that used traditionally during the Elephant Procession of the famous Mysore Dasara. The Mehrangarh Fort Museum in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, has a gallery of royal howdahs. Today, howdahs are used mainly for tourist or commercial purposes in South East Asia and are the subject of controversy as animal rights groups and organizations, such as Millennium Elephant Foundation, openly criticize their use, citing evidence that howdahs can cause permanent damage to an elephant's spine, lungs, and other organs and can significantly shorten the animal's life. A passage from Roman historian Curtius describes the lifestyles of ancient Indian kings during the "Second urbanisation" (c. 600 – c. 200 BCE) who rode on chariot mounted on elephants or howdahs when going on distant expeditions. The Mehrangarh Fort Museum, Jodhpur, has a gallery dedicated to an array of Hathi Howdah, used by the Maharaja of Mewar, mostly for ceremonial occasions. File:Hathi Howdah, Mehrangarh Fort Museum.jpg|''Hathi Howdah'', [[Mehrangarh Fort]] Museum. File:Silver Hathi Howdah, Mehrangarh Fort Museum.jpg|Silver ''Hathi Howdah'', Mehrangarh Fort Museum. File:Hathi Howdah or Elephant seat in the Mehrangarh Fort Museum.jpg|Hathi Howdah or Elephant seat in the Mehrangarh Fort Museum. File:Bactrian phalera (front) with military elephants, 2nd century BCE, Hermitage Museum, Saint Peterburg.