In Hindu mythology, the elephant ridden by the god Indra is Airavata.
Airavata is a divine white elephant and the traditional mount of Indra, king of the devas. Hindu texts and later artistic traditions describe him as exceptionally large and magnificent. He is also associated with clouds, rain, and royal power, fitting Indra’s role as a storm and rain deity.
Airavata is commonly connected with the churning of the ocean of milk. In many retellings, he emerges among the extraordinary treasures produced by that cosmic event and is then claimed by Indra. Some accounts give him multiple trunks or other supernatural features, while later art often depicts him as a grand white elephant.
Airavata is not the same figure as Ganesha, whose elephant head is part of his own identity, nor is he a generic name for every divine elephant. In Southeast Asian traditions, related forms of the name appear in stories and royal symbolism.