Elephas Maximus

Elephants have always captured human imagination, especially in India, where they have been celebrated in myth, literature, religious practice and art. This book recounts journeys to wildlife sanctuaries, where elephants live in their natural habitat, as well as to temples and cities where they live in captivity. It is a natural history of elephants but also an account of the cultural associations that human beings have established with this remarkable species. Stephen Alter delves into the stories of elephants, as depicted in Buddhist cave paintings and sculpture, as well as Bollywood films. He also argues passionately for their conservation.