Guruvayur Keshavan
Gajarajan Guruvayur Kesavan (death: December 2, 1976)[1] is perhaps the most famous and celebrated captive elephant in Kerala, southern India. Kesavan was donated to the Guruvayur Hindu temple by the royal family of Nilambur in 1916.[2] It is a common Hindu custom in Kerala to donate elephants to the deity of the temple as an offering, Guruvayur temple have a very good facilities to maintain all of these elephants now totaling 60 in number at Punnathurkotta.
Standing over 3.2 meters tall, Kesavan was known for his devout behavior. Kesavan died on Guruvayur Ekadasi, considered a very auspicious day. It fasted for the entire day and dropped down facing the direction of the temple with his trunk raised as a mark of prostration. The anniversary of its death is still celebrated in Guruvauyur. Many elephants line up before the statue and the chief elephant garlands it. Kesavan was conferred the unique title "Gajarajan" (Elephant King), by the Guruvayoor Devaswom.
The Guruvayoor Devaswom erected a life-size statue of Keshavan in its precincts as tribute to the services he rendered to the presiding deity of the temple. Its tusks, along with a majestic portrait of the elephant, can be still seen adorning the entrance to the main temple enclosure. Its life is the subject of a Malayalam feature film which bears his name. The story of Guruvayoor Kesavan was later portrayed as a television serial in Surya TV.
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ http://www.guruvayurdevaswom.org/kesavan.html
- ^ The Hindu : National : `Guruvayur Kesavan' remembered
