One Thai monarch established the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant which included many different “grades” of whiteness. Only palace experts can deem an elephant to be “white,” classify the elephant into one of four families that live in mythical forests, and rank them hierarchically based on seven criteria. Historically, kings of Thailand often presented white elephants as a way to impress rivals while simultaneously imposing financial and physical burdens on the gift-receiver. White elephants were so sacred, that they could not be put to work or given away, and as with all elephants, they were very expensive to take care of. Hence, Westerners interpreted a “white elephant” as being a valuable item that cannot be disposed of and which is not often worth its maintenance costs.