Buddhism is a non-theistic religion (no belief in a creator god), also considered as a philosophy and a moral discipline, which originated in India in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. It was founded by the sage Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). Renowned for their wisdom, intelligence, and patience, the elephant is considered as a vital part of the Buddhist faith, as given below:

• Buddha as an elephant in earlier lives: It is believed that before being reincarnated in human form, Buddha lived as an elephant, and thus elephants are considered as sacred in Buddhism.
• Buddha as white elephant: After a white elephant appeared in the dream of Queen Maya, she believed that her pregnancy and birth to Siddhartha were because of the same white elephant.
• The Lotus Sutra: It is a sacred scripture of Buddhism which describes the elephant as “meditating” and “utterly composed.” It relates Buddhist values to the elephant’s physical attributes as follows:
• Dhamma is in his belly.
• The tusks represent “equanimity.”
• The large head represents “careful consideration.”
• The tail represents “solitude.”
• Representing meditation: Because elephants are so wise, many Buddhists believe elephant symbols can evoke “a clear state of mind” pursued through meditation.

This importance given to elephants in Buddhist faith explains their prominence in Buddhist sculpture as highlighted below:

• Bodhisattvas on elephants: In Buddhist sculpture, bodhisattvas are often represented as sitting on an elephant, which symbolises “knowledge brings power.”
• As part of the lion capital: An elephant along with a bull, a horse, and a lion have been decorated on a round abacus, altering four Dharmachakras or wheels of law on the monolithic lion capital found at Sarnath.
• Rock-cut elephant at Dhauli: It is the earliest Buddhist sculpture of Odisha, constructed by Ashoka. The sculpture looked like “the fore half of an elephant” emerging from hill-rock.
• Taming of Nalagiri’s sculpture at Amaravati: It is a masterly representation of a scene showing the subjugation or taming of Nalagiri, a mad elephant let loose on the Buddha in the streets of Rajagriha.
• Elephants crowning the pillars: In Karle caves, Dampati and the Mithuna figures are shown as the pairs riding the magnificent elephants crowning the pillars.

In this way, various scriptures describe Buddha as the epitome of an elephant-calm, poised, and alert. Though earlier Buddhist art represented him through various symbols, Mahayana Buddhism started portraying Buddha in human form.