Elephants in Kerala culture

Wild elephants in Munnar

This article covers the role of elephants (Indian Elephant, Elephas maximus indicus) in the culture of Kerala state, southern India.

Elephants found in Kerala, the Indian Elephants, are one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant. Since 1986, Asian Elephant has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years. The species is pre-eminently threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. Along with a large population of wild elephants, Kerala has more than seven hundred elephants in captivity. Most of them are owned by temples and individuals.^{[citation needed]} They are used for religious ceremonies in and around the temples, and a few elephants work at timber yards.

Elephants in Kerala are often referred to as the "sons of the sahya". As the State Animal, the elephant is featured on the emblem of the Government of Kerala state, taken from the Royal Arms of both Travancore and Cochin.

Elephants in festivals

Elephants standing during Thrissur pooram festival in Kerala state of south India.

Most of the Hindu temples in Kerala own elephants, the majority of which are donated by devotees. The famous Guruvayur temple has more than 60 captive elephants. The world's only Elephant Palace is constructed in Punnattur Kotta, 3 km from the Guruvayur temple, to house the temple's elephants. A famous elephant, named Guruvayur Kesavan, belonged to this temple.

Almost all of the local festivals in Kerala include at least one richly caparisoned elephant. Elephants carry the deity during annual festival processions and ceremonial circumnambulations in the Hindu temples. The temple elephants are decorated with gold plated caparisons ("nettipattam"), bells, and necklaces. People mounted on the elephants hold tinselled silk parasols ("muttukuda") up high, swaying white tufts ("vencamaram") and peacock feather fans ("alavattam") to the rhythm of the orchestra. Seventeen elephants are engaged for the daily ceremonial rounds to the accomplishment of Pancari Melam in Kudalmanikyam temple. The headgear of seven of these elephants is made of pure gold and rest of pure silver, which is unique to this temple.

Mahout and his elephant Guruvayoor, Thrissur, Kerala

Elephants in history and legends of Kerala

Caparisoned elephants during Sree Poornathrayesa temple festival. Mahout with his thotti (hook).

Many elephants are featured in the local legends ofKerala. Aitihyamala ("A Garland of Historical Anecdotes") by Kottarattil Sankunni was written in eight volumes; each volume ending with a story or legend about a famous elephant. [1].

Famous captive elephants

Some famous captive elephants in Kerala are,

• Mangalamkunnu Karnan
• Thechikottukavu Ramachandran
• Cherpulassery Rajashekaran
• Kuttankulangara Ramadas
• Guruvayur Keshavan
• Guruvayur Padmanabhan
• Kuttanellur KKR Padmanabhan
• Mangalamkunnu Ganapathi
• Mangalamkunnu Karnan
• Mangalamkunnu Ayyappan
• Mavelikkara Unnikrishnan
• Thiruvambadi Sivasundar
• Paramekkavu Parameshwaran
• Thirumala Ramdas
• Vellapally Kuttishankaran
• Thiruvambadi Chandrashekharan
• Nanu Ezuthachan Sreenivasan
• Guruvayur Indrasen
• Pambadi Rajan
• Pullukulangara Ganeshan
• Guruvayur Nandan
• Bastian Vinayashankar
• Annamanada Umamaheshewaran
• Eratupetta Ayyappan
• Kochin Devaswam Board Gireeshan
• Kochin Devaswam Board Narayanan
• Kochin Devaswam Board Shivakumar
• Cheruppulasheri Shekaran
• Cherupullasheri Parthan
• Cherakkal Kalidasan
• Cherakkal Mahadevan
• Kongattu Kuttishankaran
• Kudalmanikyam Megharjunan (Manikyan)
• Nayarambalam Balakrishnan
• Kutanadu rajashekaran
• Thrunakkara Shivan
• Thiruvanikkavu Jayaram Kannan
• Thrikkadavoor Shivaraju
• Thiruvanikkavu Rajagopal
• Chembotra Devidasan
• Cherayi Krishnaprasad
• Chulliparambil Vishnushankar
• Gurujiyil Ananthapatmanabhan
• Chulliparambil Vishnu Shankar
• Thayamkavu Manikandan
• Paramekkavu Devidasan
• Paramekkavu Rajendran
• Cheruppulashery Manikandan
• Kochin Devaswam Board Seetharaman
• Bastian Vinayasundar
• Bastian Vinayachandran
• Guruvayur Nandan
• Guruvayur Kesavankutty
• Paramekkavu Sreepadmanabhan
• Sankarankulangara Manikandan
• Cochin Devaswom Board Devidasan
• Adiyatt Ayyappan
• Thechikkottukavu Devidasan
• Thiruvambady Kuttisankaran (Chittilappilly Davis Kuttisankaran)
• Thiruvambady Chandrasekharan
• Cheeroth Cheriya Rajeev

Caring for elephants

Each elephant has three mahouts, called pappan in the Malayalam language. The most important duty of the mahouts is to bathe and massage the elephant with small rocks, and the husk of coconuts. In the monsoon season, the elephants undergo Ayurvedic rejuvenation treatments which include decoctions with herbs, etc. It is called Sukha Chikitsa in the Malayalam language. Mahouts may be classified into three types, called in the Sanskrit language:

• Reghawan: Those who use love to control their elephants.
• Yukthiman: Those who use ingenuity to outsmart them.
• Balwan: Those who control elephants with cruelty.

Ornaments used for elephants

Main article: Caparison#Domesticated and Temple Elephants of India

One of the famous families in Thrissur District of Kerala, the Venkitadri family, has made ornaments for three generations, especially for the famous Thrissur pooram, the most famous of the Hindu temple-centred festivals. They make gold plated caparisons, umbrellas, 'alavattam, venchamaram, and necklaces. They decorate one hundred and fifty elephants with ornaments for temple festivals.

Devices used to control elephants in Kerala

In India, and especially in Kerala, mahout use three types of device to control elephants. Thotti (hook) which are 3.5 feet in length and 3 inches thick, Valiya kol (long pole) which are 10.5 feet in length and 5.5 inches in thickness, and cheru kol (short pole).

Auspicious and inauspicious signs to determine the quality of an elephant

In Kerala, as in other states, the presence or absence of certain physical characters determine the quality of an elephant, especially its temperament and disposition. Those buying elephants pay attention to these traits when determining whether an elephant is auspicious enough to be owned or purchased. These traits include:

a) Portion on the face between the eyes and the tusk (cheela), b) leg and nails, c) tail and d) tusk and trunk.

a) Ear, b) eyes and temporal region (kannakuzhi), c) twin domes on the head (thalakunni), d) forehead bump (vayukumbham) and e) tusk.

Soman the elephant at an elephant training centre, Konni, Pathanamthitta

Eyes of an Asian elephant.

• A dignified look with a raised head and low back.
• The fore and the hind feet should be placed straight and firm on the ground. The legs must be straight without deformity.
• The twin domes on the head (thalakunni), should be big, raised and evenly separated. They must not be close to each other
• The forehead bump (vayukumbham) must be broad and projecting forwards.
• The portion on the face, between the eyes and the tusk (cheela) must be compact. This portion must be long and broad. In cow (female) elephants this region is less pronounced.
• The eyes must appear clear, with the colour of honey and should be moist. The pupils must be dilated. Red eyes in elephants indicate an aggressive and angry temperament. This is also observed during musth. Eyes may turn red due to injuries. One must be wary of elephants that have a fixed gaze.
• The ears must be large. While being fanned, they must strike with a loud flapping sound, at the front. Small ears are not desirable in elephants.
• The tusks are decisive in judging an elephant 's appeal. They may be formed in several ways such as, converging in the front, diverging, or curved upwards, etc. The ideal is that, the tusks should grow downwards, rise up, and then be evenly separated. The colour must be that of butter or sandalwood.
• The trunk should be fleshy, broad, long and trailing on the ground. The tip of the trunk (thunikkai), must be long, triangular and strong. Injuries to the trunk, especially the thunikkai may disfigure the elephant.
• The temporal region, (kannakuzhi), must be swollen and fleshy. If this region appears depressed due to loss of fat or flesh, it can be assumed that the elephant is tired or weak.
• The back must slope downwards. The bones of the back must be pronounced and the area where the mahout sits (irikkasthanam), must be broad and fleshy ; otherwise it will not be a comfortable ride. This seat of the mahout, is above the forelegs and the scapular bone.
• The body must be long and the stomach must always be full and big.
• The tail must be long and end broadly into a fleshy region (vaal kudam). There should be ample hair on the tail. The tail must be long enough to touch the ankle, but not too long to trail on the ground, and should be devoid of twists or turns.
• Elephant usually have 18 nails; five each on the forelegs and four each on the hind legs. Rarely some have 20 nails, which is considered very auspicious. Indian mythology claims that Airavat, the elephant of Lord Indra, possessed 20 nails. Elephants that possess 16 nails are considered inauspicious for individuals to own, but institutions like temples could keep them. The nails must be clear and smooth without cracks and must appear pronounced like the shell of a tortoise. Elephants used for labour and physical activity may have broken nails.
• The skin must be jet black in colour ( like black teak or a group of rocks). In Malayalam elephants are called kariveeran, meaning the ‘black hero’. The skin must be resilient. Lack of resilience is an indication of dehydration.
• When multiple hairs arise from a single root, it is considered an indicator of long life, and is a good sign. These occur usually below the eye or between the eye and the trunk, or on the sides of their chin.
• If the insides of the mouth or the upper surface of the tongue is black, the elephant’s character is considered unpredictable.
• It is inauspicious to have black markings on the penis.
• The elephant makes a gurgling sound, from the throat, on seeing its favorite mahout or owner. Similarly it may excrete dung or urinate, to express its happiness. All these are considered as good signs. If the elephant remains motionless (without fanning its ears), when approached, then one must be wary of it.

See also

• Kerala
• Thrissur Pooram
• Guruvayur Keshavan
• Punnathurkotta, elephant sanctuary in Kerala
• Konni, an elephant training center
• Temple elephants
• Kolakolli
• Temples of Kerala

External links

• Hasthyaayurvedam (Encyclopaedia of elephants and their treatment) The original book is in Sanskrit but Vaidyamadham Cheriya Narayanan Namboodiri has translated Paalakaapyam (Hasthyaayurveda) from Sanskrit to Malayalam.
• Association of elephant lovers to protect elephants.
• Mahout manual.