How empires are built on the backs of animals

In the 15th century, there was once a battle between two brothers. Firuz Shah, the Bahmani sultan of the Deccan, feared that his sibling Ahmad was eyeing the throne.

- Manu S. Pillai

He sent, therefore, an army to seize the latter. Ahmad knew he did not have the advantage of numbers on his side. But he did possess above-average common sense. So, at the back of his rather slim cavalry unit, he placed row upon row of oxen, with soldiers mounted on them. From across the battlefield it now looked like Ahmad had a formidable cavalry, ready to devour the enemy. Firuz's generals and troops panicked. In the end, Ahmad's smaller, emaciated force carried the day. Soon the winner planted himself on the throne. It was studded with diamonds and gems and looked rather grand. But somewhere Ahmad knew that he owed his power to a herd of bullocks.

Willingly or otherwise, humanity's fortunes have been shaped by animals to a degree we do not always recognize. Empires have been built and saved, quite literally, on the backs of animals. When in 1573 Gujarat rebelled against the Mughals, for example, the province would have been lost. But Emperor Akbar reached the scene with reinforcements, turning the tide swiftly. How? His men and he rode non-stop for nine days. Usually, according to his son, Jahangir, the distance took two months to cover. Akbar was able to do it in record time by traveling chiefly on camels capable of covering 200 kilometers a day. His arrival in Gujarat was a twist nobody had expected, changing the course of events. Those camels helped the Mughals hold on to one of the wealthiest provinces in India, enabling subsequent conquests.

Elephants were the other big asset in warfare, though unlike camels they were quite expensive to maintain, requiring enormous amounts of food and water. Often assigned several attendants, in battle elephants could ram their way through enemy ranks with spectacular effect. It is no wonder then that kings in Odisha at one time advertised themselves as Gajapatis, Lords of the Elephant. But the poor creatures suffered.