Barding was often used in conjunction with cloth covers known as caparisons. The temple elephants are decorated with gold plated caparisons ("nettipattam"), bells, and necklaces. They make gold plated caparisons, umbrellas, "alavattam", "venchamaram", and necklaces. They wore caparisons, a type of ornamental cloth featuring the owner's heraldic signs. Medieval caparisons were frequently embroidered with the coat of arms of the horse's rider.