Akbar the Great was a Mughal emperor who expanded Mughal territory in India. He did this through warfare, which he was very good at. Indian warfare made use of war elephants. Indian generals loved the “shock and awe” aspect of elephants. Akbar had thousands of elephants and around a hundred were his personal elephants. His most famous elephant was named Hawa’i. The name means “like the wind” and refers to the elephant’s speed. Hawa’i was considered untamable. No mahout could ride him. He was wild and mean. When Akbar was 19-years-old, he decided to show the royal court that he was going to be a great ruler. He would ride the strongest, wildest, meanest of his elephants. One day, with the royal court watching in horror, Akbar got on Hiwa’i and challenged the next most imposing elephant to a fight. That elephant was named Ran Bagha, which means “the War Tiger”. Hiwa’i beat up on his foe so badly he ran away. Hiwa’i and Akbar chased him. When Ran Bagha reached a river, he proceeded across a pontoon bridge. Hiwa’i followed although the weight of the two elephants caused the bridge to begin to break apart. Hiwa’i managed to get across the river before the bridge collapsed. This incident became famous because of a painting by the court artist Basawan. Akbar went on to ride Hiwa’i in battle as he conquered most of India.
Akbar’s favorite elephant was named Hiran. He used Hiran for justice. A condemned criminal would be put in Hiran’s pen. Hiran would look him over and if he deemed the criminal guilty, he would stomp on him. If Hiran just kept eating his grass and leaves, the accused was set free. When Hiran died, Akbar built a tower in his memory.
0 Comments