Which was the first empire in ancient India to use elephants in its war on a large scale?

Magadha

The correct answer is Option 4- Magadha

The first empire in ancient India to use elephants in its war on a large scale was the Magadha Empire.

The Magadha Empire was founded in the 6th century BCE, and it reached its peak under the reign of Chandragupta Maurya in the 4th century BCE. Chandragupta Maurya was a brilliant military commander, and he used his elephant corps to great effect in his conquests.

Elephants were very effective in warfare in ancient India. They were large and powerful, and they could easily trample over enemy infantry. They were also very intelligent and could be trained to carry towers on their backs, which could be filled with archers and other soldiers.

Chandragupta Maurya used his elephant corps to defeat several powerful kingdoms in India, and he eventually united most of the subcontinent under his rule. The Magadha Empire was one of the most powerful empires in the ancient world, and its elephant corps was a key factor in its success.

The other empires mentioned in the question, the Shunga Empire, the Chola Empire, and the Kushan Empire, all used elephants in their armies, but they did not use them on the same scale as the Magadha Empire. The Magadha Empire was the first empire in ancient India to use elephants as a decisive weapon of war.