This Asian elephant provides rides for the delight of tourists. However, when Bayon in the background was built in the late 12th century, elephants had several critical roles. The beasts of burden were used for labor, war and transportation. The gates into Angkor Thom were large enough to accommodate a procession of soldiers or royalty riding on the backs of their elephants. The man in the photo is the elephant’s keeper called a mahout. The carriage or bench on the animal’s back is a howdah.
