The English word JUNGLE is from the Hindi word jangal (also Marathi), meaning a "forest, wasteland," which in turn is derived from Sanskrit jangala, "desert, uncultivated land."
The modern English sense of a "land overgrown with vegetation" dates to the 19th century, and the Oxford English Dictionary suspects that its evolution in English might be influenced by the word "tangle."
Here's a picture of an elephant in the
Wayanad Tholpetty Range in Kerala, India:
You might be familiar with Rudyard Kipling's
Jungle Book and
Second Jungle Book; he was born in India and grew up there. More at
Wikipedia.
