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A howdah or houdah (, derived from the Arabic هودج which means 'bed carried by a camel') also known as hathi howdah (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 . It was also a symbol of wealth for the owner and as a result might be elaborately decorated, even with expensive .
Notable howdahs are the Golden Howdah, on display at the Napier Museum at Thiruvananthapuram, which was used by the Maharaja of Travancore and that is 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.
Tolkien wrote in The Lord of the Rings of the Mûmakil (Elephants) of Harad with howdahs on their backs. (2025). 9781403946713, Palgrave. ISBN 9781403946713
In antiquity, the Romans war elephants, and turreted elephants feature on the coinage of Juba II of Numidia, in the 1st century BC.J. Mazard, Corpus Nummorum Numidiae Mauretaniaeque (Paris 1955) 103, nº. 276, pl. 247 Elephants were used in the Roman campaigns against the Celtiberians in Hispania, against the Gauls, and against the Britons, the ancient historian Polyaenus writing, "Caesar had one large elephant, which was equipped with armor and carried archers and slingers in its tower. When this unknown creature entered the river, the Britons and their horses fled and the Roman army crossed over."Polyaenus, (VIII, 23.5). However, he may have confused this incident with the use of a similar war elephant in Claudius' final conquest of Britain.
Alternatively, modern uses may derive from later contacts with howdahs. Fanciful images of war elephants with elaborate castles on their back date to 12th century Spain, as at right.
Notably, 13th century English use may come from the elephant given by Louis IX of France to Henry III of England, for his menagerie in the Tower of London in 1254, this being the first elephant in England since Claudius.
Today the symbol is most known in the United Kingdom from the Elephant and Castle intersection in south London. This derives its name from a pub established by 1765, in a building previously known as The White Horse and used by a smith or farrier. It has been claimed the premises had been associated with the Cutlers' Company. However the company has advised a contributor it has never had an association with the area. Meanwhile the use of the symbol by the Cutlers due to the presence of ivory in sword and cutlery handles is just one of diverse world-wide uses of the term over a long period. These include the titles of several other public houses in London. Stephen Humphrey, a historian of the Elephant and Castle, addresses the various origin theories and demonstrates the naming of the pub that subsequently gave its name to the area was random.
The elephant and castle symbol has been used since the 13th century in the coat of arms of the city of Coventry, and forms the heraldic crest of the Corbet family, feudal barons of Caus, of Caus Castle in Shropshire, powerful . It was used in the 17th century by the Royal African Company, which led to its use on the guinea gold coin.
The symbol of an elephant and castle has also been used in the Order of the Elephant, the highest order in Denmark, since 1693.
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