Guruvayurappan - Elephants and Guruvayur

Part 17 

Elephants figure prominently in many South Indian temples. An age-old custom is to donate elephant calves or young elephants in the wild to the temple as an offering. The temple itself at times procures such elephants.

Aanayottam or elephant race

Once Guruvayur was a Keezhedam (subordinate temple) of Thrikanamathilakam (Trikkunavay). The festival of Trikkunavay used to finish two days before the beginning of Guruvayur Utsavam. The elephants used to come from Trikkunavay for the Guruvayur Utsavam.

Once they refused to send their elephants to Guruvayur for not making payment on time. The elephants were chained but that night, they broke their chains and ran to Guruvayur without the mahouts. 

From that day onwards, the elephants used to leave Trikkunavay on Punarvasu to reach Guruvayur in time for the festival. Trikkunavay was destroyed by the Dutch in 1755. To keep the reminiscence of this unusual event, the elephant race (aanayottam) is conducted every year and this marks the beginning of the Guruvayur Utsavam. 

The elephants run from Manjulaal, (the banyan tree half a kilometer away from the eastern entrance to the temple) enter the temple, take 7 rounds and touch the flagstaff in the end. The first elephant to touch the flagstaff will be given special treatment inside the temple on the days of Utsavam and will get the privilege of carrying the Lord's thidambu for the procession.

Guruvayur temple has over 60 elephants donated to the Lord by various people and they are housed in a sanctuary at Punathur Kotta, 3 km from the temple. It is a beautiful sight to see the elephants being cared for like little children.

Any description of Guruvayur is incomplete without a note on three of its great elephants, Gajarajan Kesavan, Guruvayur Padmanabhan and Gajarani Lakshmi. These are known for their unflinching devotion to God and for their tremendous compassion and concern for devotees. 

Gajarajan Kesavan

The story of Gajarajan Kesavan is even more remarkable. Called ‘Lunatic Kesavan’ in his
younger days, this noble elephant spent more than 50 years in the service of the lord. It was one of the majestic elephants who served Guruvayurappan with all sincerity and uniqueness. Valiya Raja of Nilambur once prayed to the Lord to save his family and property from the enemies’ attack. He promised to offer one of his many elephants if his wish was fulfilled. His It indeed was fulfilled, and he offered an elephant which later became the famous Guruvayur Kesavan.

On his arrival, Kesavan was 10 years old and elephant Padmanabhan was the undisputed king.  Kesavan was noble and kind, yet mischievous and temperamental. To remove his moods, he was given butter to eat which was first sanctified (made holy) by the Melshanti (Head Priest) – believed to be an effective treatment and then made to perform bhajan by attending all the three sriveli (temple functions). All this transformed him into an ideal Deity elephant. 

Young Kesavan acquired all the kingly gestures and nobleness of Padmanabhan and even excelled him. He would bend his front-legs only before those who holds Lord's Thidambu to enable them to climb upon him, all others who held the umbrella, alavattam etc. had to climb by his hind legs. He never caused any bodily harm to anyone. He sometimes was called "Lunatic Kesavan" but was never destructive. Even if he became wild outside Guruvayur, he would straightaway come to Guruvayur, go around the temple and stood where he used to be chained. Whenever Kesavan was to carry the Deity, he would demonstrate his great eagerness to perform his service by pulling at the chains that bound his feet.

Once he was hurrying to the temple, disobeying the mahouts.  Everybody in the area fled for fear of being trampled by him.  Except a poor, helpless leper who could not run away and remained helpless on the path.  As the people watched with fear, they were astonished when they saw that Kesavan had actually lifted the leper with his trunk, placed him safely in a corner, and proceeded straight to the temple.

On another occasion, Kesavan’s mahout was taking him to the Nilambur forest to help in the logging. Unaware of this, he went along quietly, till a devotee who recognized Kesavan stopped his car and asked the mahout where they were going. The mahout replied that they were proceeding to Nilambur for logging. The moment Kesavan heard this, he refused to budge from the spot. He stayed there for six months getting his feed from a local landlord. Only after the mahout convinced him that he would be taken back to Guruvayur did he started moving.

In 1973, for the first time in history, the Golden Jubilee of the services of an elephant to the temple was celebrated. The honour of "Gajarajan" (king of elephants) was conferred upon Kesavan.

In December 1976, on Guruvayur Navami day, while the navami vilakku procession was going on with God on his majestic frame, he suddenly fell ill. He could not hold and stand on his legs. The stand carrying the Vigraham was transferred to the other elephant and Kesavan stood still for over a day, as if contemplating on the Almighty. The next day he suddenly filled his trunk with water and sprayed it in the direction of the sanctum sanctorum.

On 2nd December 1976,  the holy day of Guruvayur Ekadasi,  when the lord is said to have appeared in his Vishwaroopa to Arjuna and the same day when he appeared before the poet Melpathur Narayana Bhattadri too, Gajarajan breathed his last. He fasted for the entire day and in the evening, when the conch shell blew to announce the appearance of the Deity, Kesavan bowed before the temple with his trunk raised as a mark of prostration.  Amid thousands of devotees chanting and playing on musical instruments, his soul departed from his body to attain the eternal realm of Vaikunta.

He was 72, 3.2 metres tall and participated in every ceremony at the temple. Kerala's biggest and grandest elephant, Gajarajan Kesavan, served the Lord and people for 54 years and  those who have seen Kesavan will never forget him.

The Guruvayoor Devaswom erected a life-size 12 feet statue of Keshavan in front of Sreevalsam rest house, as a 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 and throughout the city, many shops sell colorful paintings of Keshavan reminding the pilgrims of him.

The anniversary of his death is still celebrated in Guruvauyur. Many elephants line up before the statue and the chief elephant garlands it. 

Guruvayur Padmanabhan

Second only to Guruvayur Kesavan, Padmanabhan was brought to Guruvayur by Cherukunnath Namboodiri as his devout offering and was offered to Lord Guruvayurappan after performing the proper function of "Nadayiruthal”.

The legend goes that this Namboodiri had no children and he was spending his tearful days lamenting over his sad plight. Then Kunjhikkavu Namboodiri, an ardent devotee of Lord Guruvayurappan, who was famous for his "Purana Parayanam”, advised Cherukunnath Namboodiri that Lord Guruvayurappan would bless him with children if he offered an elephant to Him. Accordingly, Cherukunnath Namboodiri came to Guruvayur, performed "Bhajan” and prayed to offer Him an elephant, if he was blessed with a child. Lord Guruvayurappan showered His blessings on Cherukunnath Namboodiri, and he offered Him an elephant and called him Padmanabhan.

When Padmanabhan was brought to Guruvayur, there were only one or two elephants there. As Cherukunnath illam was blessed with more and more children with His blessings, the number of elephants in Guruvayur temple also increased one by one, with the coming of Padmanabhan.

Padmanabhan grew, through years, to be the most important of all elephants in Kerala and wherever he was taken for Utsavam, he was to be given the most prominent place in the procession. In all utsavams, if he was present, it was his privilege to carry on his head the "Thidambu”. He never tolerated any other elephant enjoying this right. As soon as the "Thidambu” was placed on his head, he would stretch the whole of his body forward, and raise his head to the maximum, so that he would appear to be the highest in the whole array of elephants. This posture would continue till the "Thidambu” was taken down after the procession and thus he was able to maintain his kingly posture everywhere. He had never caused any injury to anybody throughout his lifetime. Impressed by him, the Maharaja of Ambalapuzha awarded him with the precious prize, "Veerashringala".

Once Padmanabhan stood still for hours as a small child was playing near its legs. On another occasion during the annual festival, Padmanabhan ran round the temple 12 times as though he had prayed to the Lord to do so. He did this without hurting any pilgrim or devotee!

80-year old “Gajaratnam” Padmanabhan breathed his last peacefully on February 26, 2020.

Gajarani Lakshmi

Lakshmi Kutty was the most honoured and the tallest she-elephant of Kerala. Physically she was no match to the other two illustrious elephants, Kesavan and Padmanabhan, but she had few equals in nobility and devotion. The love between the majestic Kesavan and her were well known. Lakshmi had the privilege many times to carry the Thidambu on her head. On 4th March 1983, Lakshmi was presented the title of "Gajarani" at an impressive function.