Howdah

A howdah is a carriage or seat mounted on the back of an elephant or, less commonly, a camel, used across South and Southeast Asia for travel, hunting, ceremonial processions and, in earlier centuries, warfare. Ranging from a simple pad to an elaborately carved and canopied platform for royalty, the howdah allowed one or more riders to travel above the ground with a degree of comfort and visibility no cart or carriage on that terrain could match.