For millennia, elephants have walked alongside humans, shaping art, spirituality, and daily life across Asia. From the verses of the Arthaśāstra to the spiritual symbolism of Buddhist and Jain traditions, and from the royal courts of India to temples across Southeast Asia, they have endured as symbols of power, wisdom, and cosmic harmony.
Statue of Ganesha from Mysore (c. 13th century), Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington DC, USA 
Standing Ganesha, pre-Angkor period (second-half of the 7th century), Cambodia 
13th Century Thai City of Sukhothai- Wat Sorasak Elephant, Sukhothai Historical Park, Mueang Kao, Thailand 
Treatise on Elephants, Rattanakosin period (c. 1824), Thailand 
Nava Nari Kunjara, the Nine Women Elephant, Sri Lanka 
18th century Panchatantra manuscript page, The Elephants Trample the Hares 
Akbar’s Adventures with the Elephant Hawa’i in 1561 
Government Elephant in State Costume, South India, 1890 
Caparisoned elephants and Panchari Melam performance during Sree Poornathrayesa temple festival, Thrippunithura, Kerala 
An elephant involved in a parade in Charbhuja, Garhbor, Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan 
Gajalakshmi (c. 2nd – 1st century BCE), Bharhut Railing, Madhya Pradesh, Bharhut Gallery, Indian Museum, Kolkata 
Konark War Elephant Statue (c. 13th century), Konark Temple, Puri, Odisha 
Gajasimha, Gwalior Fort, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh 
Pillar Medallion portraying Mayadevi’s dream of a Celestial Elephant, attended by three Royal Chamber Maids, Bharhut Gallery, Indian Museum, Kolkata 
Elephant Seal, Harappa, National Museum, Delhi 
Elephant at Bardiya National Park, Nepal 
Elephant mural in the caves of Ajanta, Aurangabad, Maharashtra
INTACH’s Project Gaja Lok exhibition The Gaja-Lok Exhibition traces this magnificent journey, showcasing the elephant’s role through artifacts ranging from ancient Indus Valley seals and Bharhut railings to the majestic statues of Konark Temple. The displays reveal how elephants have shaped the spiritual, artistic, and political life of civilizations.
The project is dedicated to documenting and exploring the profound connections surrounding the Asian elephant, highlighting intertwined narratives of culture, history, ecology, and climate resilience across the continent.