Bandoola Bowl takes its name from a fascinating hero: an elephant named Bandoola who helped the Burmese army defend themselves against Japanese invasion in the Second World War.

Bandoola was the namesake of General Maha Bandoola, who fought against the British in the First Anglo-Burmese War in the 1800s. Bandoola used his prowess riding and handling war elephants as a key strategy in his resistance efforts.

Both the commander-in-chief and the war elephant Bandoola are celebrated as national heroes in Burma for courageously defending the country. To learn more about these important pieces of Burmese history, check out this National Geographic article or the NPR story below.