Gajalakshanangal

1. Veeneduthu akanna uyarnna kombukal


2. uyarnna thalakkuni


3. thericha vayukumbham


4. virivulla masthakam


5. thenniramulla kannukal


6. thoonupole valuthum nere ullathumaya kalukal


7. nakhangal 20 or 18 (5x2) or (4x2) kedupadukal illathathum veluthathum ayirikkanam


8. thelinja madagiri


9. uyarnnathum neelam koodiyathumaya udal


10. irikkasthanam vistharam ullathum mamsalvum ayirikkanam


11. nilathizhayunnathum nalla vannavum ozhukkum ulla thumbikkai


12. chevikal valuthum veeshumbol thappukottunna shbdathodu koodiyathum ayirikkanam


13. valinu kanankal vare neelam undavanam. valavo odivo undavan padilla. attam romavritham ayirikkanam


14. niram kariveettiyudethayirikkanam
15. puraku thazhnnathum mastham uyarnnathum ayirikkanam. nattellu mukalilekku valanjathayirikkanam
16. romangal kuranjirikkanam. thumbikkaiyude agram, nakku, chundu, ulnakku enniva chuvannirikkanam
17. padam kedukoodathathavanam
18. kazhuthu mamsalam avanam

More about the auspicious signs of this animal

Elephants....

Aanachal- Regular path of elephant its also called as 'Aanathara'

Aanaviratti-place where elephant threatened, a plant also have this name because of irritating leaves.

Aanachuvadi- A herb used in Ayurveda. It is like the feet of elephant.

Aanavayan pura-Temporary setup with only one room

Aanavandi-Older days KSRTC buses are known as Aanavandi

Aanayirankal-Place where elephants climbed down

Aanavalankili is a common bird in Kerala

Paramekkavu Parameswaran

The elephant with all majestic features owned by Paramekkavu Devaswom died on 2005 January 31st. He was 55 years old.. He had taken the thidambu of Paramekkavu for 15 years in Thrissur Pooram festival. He was bought from the Balaji Trust.
Paramekkavu temple
Paramekkavu temple is at Thrissur. One of the participants of Thrissur pooram. Bhagawathi is the chief diety. Thiruvambadi is another main participant temple of Thrissur pooram. These two temples arrange caparisoned elephants in pooram and this may be the main spectacular event of this festival of Kerala. 'Kudamattom' a display of umbrella is an interesting item.

Majestic jumbos of Kerala

Shankarankulangara Manikandan

Kongadu Kuttishankaran

Mangalamkunnu Vijayan

Mundackal Devanarayanan

Thripunithura Vrischikotsavam

Kazhcha seeveli at Sree poornathrayeesha temple, Thripunithura

Panchari melam led by Sri Peruvanam Kuttan Marar

Huge crowd during Vrishchikotsavam at poornathrayeesha temple

15 caparisoned elephants during kazhcha seeveli

Elephants participating in Vrishchikotsavam-2008

1. Nanu Ezhuthachan Srinivasan
2. Kongadu Kuttishankaran
3. Shenoy Chandrashekharan
4. Pambadi Rajan
5. Thiruvanmbadi Cheriya Chandrashekharan
6. Paramekkavau Padmanabhan
7. Thiruvithamkur Devaswom Board Thrikkadavoor Raju
8. Kanjirakkad Shekharan
9. Cherai Krishnadas
10. Puthuppally Keshavan
11. Puthuppally Sadhu
12. Devaswom Gireeshan
13. Plathottam Babu
14. Cherai Parameswaran
15. Kuttankulangara Ramadas
16. Chakkalakkudy Balakrishnan
17. Unnippally Ganeshan
18. Nayarambalam Rajashekharan
19. Poothrikkovil Parthasarathy
20. Poothrikkovil Ganapathy
21. Brahmani veettil Parthasarathy
22. Madhurappuram Kannan
23. Sree poornathrayeesha Seva sangom Sri Hari

Sree poornathrayeesha Seva Sanghom, Thripunithura

Phone:2776655

Elephant ears

Aanachuvadi herb images:courtsey wikipedia

Elephant ears have more functions than our ears. Its not just for hearing purpose but it regulates the body temperature also. Elephants always fan their ears to cool their body. Ears are capable of listening even infrasound. African elephant's ears are 3 times larger than Asian elephant.
Elephant ears have many more meanings.... above all they are very soft and sensitive organs.
Colocasia plants are also called elephant ears(ചേമ്പില) .
In US a doughnut, a special dish served in carnivals is called elephant ears!!!!
In Kerala a herb is called aanachuvadi( ആനചുവടി ) means the foot of elepahnt..

Gajarajan Gireeshan pictures

Gajarajan Gireeshan of Cochin Devaswom Board. Cochin Devaswom Board has 13 elephants.

Gireeshan is 50 years old. His majestic look attracts people. Shots from the west entrance of Sri Poornathrayeesha temple, Thripunithura.

Gireeshan, the elephant of Kochi Devaswom Board. Tethering place of the elephant is filled with Elephant dung left over vegetation from previous days. Unhygienic premises will be harmful to their health. Tethering place is known as 'Kettu thara'( കെട്ട്തറ) in malayalam. It must be cleaned on a daily basis. This will prevent foot infections of the elephant.

Secure sleep...

Elephant calf sleeping in the midst of the herd. They always provide security to their little ones... Views from Bannerghatta national Park, Bangalore. The park is famous for Lion and Tiger safari. We can watch the animals from their natural habitat.

Views from Bangalore. Shots by my friend Susan

Guruvayoor Valiya Keshavan

The tallest among the 64 elephants of Punnathoor Kotta(308cm). Nakeri vasudevan Nambuthiri offered him to Sri Guruvayurappa on 2002 May 9th. He is from Bihar. He is considered as the successor of Gajaratnam Guruvayoor Padmanabhan. Formerly he was Nakeri Ayyappan Kutty.

Some fast facts about elephants...

A scene from Pinnawallah elephant orphanage, Srilanka
http://www.elephantcountryweb.com/Realellies.html

The largest land animal

Second tallest land animal

Longest living mammal other than humans

They continue to grow throughout their lives

They are highly intelligent

Gajaratnam Guruvayoor Padmanabhan

Guruvayur Padmanabhan is the elephant of Sri Guruvayurappa. His divinity and his magnetic appeal makes him the god's own elephant . According to elephant craze people of Kerala he is one of the auspicious elephant with all the signs.He is from Nilambur forests. Erandathu Puthenveettil Achuthan nair and Madhavan nair, known as E P Brothers offered him to Sri Guruvayurappa. Then he was 14 years old. Now he is crossing his 70s.
In 2004 he got 'Gajaratnam' from Guruvayoor Devaswom Board. Now he is 'Gajaratnam Guruvayoor Padmanabhan'. Elephant lovers associations and temples honoured him several times. For festivals he is always considered as the 'Ezhunnellippana'. The elephant who carries the idol of chief diety is known as 'Ezhunnellippana'. Some of his peers have more 'Thalappokkam' than him then also he is considered as the leader because of his calm nature and he is also the successor of the legend Sri Guruvayoor Keshavan.
Guruvayoor Padmanabhan Pictures
Elephant facts

Thiruvanikkavu Jayaram Kannan got Gajarajapattom

The famous elephant of cine star Jayaram got Gajarajapattom from kodannoor Dharmashastha Kshethram. Kannan who is famous for his calm behaviour, acted in more than 33 films. Superstar Mammootty is also planning to act with him in an elephant oriented film.
A large crowd was present to witness the historical moment. Our beloved home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan presented Kannan with prestigious 'Gajarajpattom' award. Jayaram with his family was present in the meeting. K B Ganesh Kumar president of the Elephant owners association, Sathyan Anthikkad, Sreekumar Arookkutti and politicians were also present.
Jayaram Kannan is a nadan elephant. He is from 'Kodanad Aanakkalari'. After that he was with a circus troop. Jayaram bought him from Manissery Hari. Then he became Thiruvanikkavu Jayaram Kannan.

Related entries

Jayaram's New year celebration with his elephant

Elephants from Kerala

Nanu Ezhuthachan Sreenivasan
Pambadi Rajan
Thiruvambadi Kuttishankaran
Thiruvanikkavu Rajagopal

Thiruvambadi Kuttishankaran

Eerattupetta ayyapan

Gajaratnam Guruvayoor padmanabhan

Cherpulassery Parthan

Elepahant dung

180Kg of waste in a day from an adult elephant!!! A messy problem for mahouts and keepers. A story from Pinnawela elephant orphanage of Srilanka with 60 elephants. Now they started making eco friendly paper from the elephant dung. Elephant dung which pass through series of processes will turn into ordinary paper and it will be bacteria free also. Elephants are poor digesters. Dung is fibre rich. The orphanage use the profit of this paper to the well being these pachyderms itself.

Elephant related posts:

• Elephant bath


• Elephant cam

Elephant bath

Elephants love water. Elephants bath is a time consuming process for mahouts. In Kerala there may be 2 or 3 mahouts(pappan) for an elephant. They scrub the body of the elephant with coconut husks. This will remove the dirt and increase the blood circulation. Its very interesting to see this huge bath. Elephant will change its positions according to the instruction of 'Pappan'.
Related entries:

• Elephant food
• Elephant village
• Elephant travel
• Durbar Hall ground pictures
  

Elephant patrol in Wayanad to check poaching

Kerala Forest Department started anti- poaching patrol among the thick forest of Kerala-Tamil nadu border according to the information from the Thamil Nadu authorities about the poaching in this area. The team consists of 3 elephants their mahouts and forest officials. The elephants belong to the Forest Department of Kerala.
According to them elephant patrolling has many advantages.

• We can travel through thick forests
• Elephant riding provides better surveillance
• Protection from wild animals

They spend three days at a stretch which gave a close look of the activities inside the forest area.

Related entries:

• Elephant Park
• Elephant ride
• Elephant race

Elephant Park at Eroor

Baby elephant from Thailand

A happy news to the elephant lovers of Kerala to have an elephant park in Thripunithura. The abandoned 'aanaparambu' of Eroor will attract tourists with its new face as an elephant park with viewers gallery, a reference library for elephant lovers and quarters for mahouts etc. The Cochin Devaswom Board co-operating with Thripunithura Municipality and Elephant care are taking efforts to launch the shelter for elephants as soon as possible. The spacious ground with a well placed pond is the appropriate place for elephants. Its also the place of Poornathrayeesha, the god with elephant craze.

Related entries:

• Elephant Hospital


• Elephant Orphanage


• Elephant Kraal

Ezhunnallippu

Elephant march during the 'parayeduppu' of poonithura kottaram temple, thripunithura.
Panchavadyam means Orchestra which consists of five instruments. idakka,kombu,maddalam,thilmila and ilathalam are the five instruments used in Panchavadyam.
Panchavadyam shots from Gandhi square in Kochi

Caparisoned elephant shots with kolam on the top.
'Thidambu' of the chief diety of Poonithura Kottaram temple, Pettah
Elephant march in a temple at Kochi accompanied by Panchavadyam.
Elephant with Muthukkuda, nettippattom, venchamaram and aalavattom.

Para ezhunnallippu of Poonithura Kottaram temple on Ashtamirohini. Caparisoned elephants accompanied by panchavadyam. Poonithura temple has strong relation with poornathrayeesha temple. According to legends, it is the place where Arjuna and the brahmin descended in santhana gopala story. Here Arjuna took the idol from 'pooni' , brought from vaikunda. Thus the name poonithura came. Muthukulangara temple at Eroor also has connections with the Poornathrayeesha temple.

Elephants Orphanage

Picture from Pinnawallah elephant Orphanage in Sree lanka.

The inauguaration ceremony of the elephant Orphanage at Kottur will be held on 26th August freeing 5 elephants into the confined area. Kottur is near to the Agasthyavanam in Thiruvananthapuram District. The exact place of the rehabilitation Centre is at Kappukad. The first stage of the orphanage had completed with the help of 'Project Elephant' by the India Government. Here we have a close interaction with these animals. Facilities for Elephant Safari is also here.
According to the Kerala Forest Department this will be a retirement home for the sick and injured animals. There they have freedom for roaming in protected areas. A team of experts will be there to look after them. Above all a chain free life is the most striking feature of this institution. Wild calves that can not be send back will be admitted to the orphanage. The centre will have the facility to accommodate 30 elephants at a time. This may be the first in India aiming the welfare of the animals.
Females with calves will be in one area. Tuskers will have separate area. Each male will be separated by electric fence. Surely this attempt will reduce the abuse and mishandling of elephants.
The centre also accept donations from animal lovers across the world. The authorities are planning to start a paper making unit from elephant dung. Such units are very popular in Thailand and Sree Lanka.

Kottur is the Head quarters of Agasthyavanam Biological Park. It is around 35Km away from the Trivandrum town. Agasthyakoodam is the second highest peak of Kerala. Forest is named after this peak. In this park we can have trekking through the wild, bird watching and videography.

Related entries:

• Rehabilitation centre


• Elephant Craze


• Malayalappuzha Rajan


• Elephant feeding

Elephants hospital in Kerala

Kerala, the land of elephant craze people had taken a strong step towards the well fare of captive elephants. A hospital had started for elephants at North Paravur. Hospital's proprieter is Ramesh Peruvaram who is also an elephant owner. Elephants with wounds need long term treatment with patience. Dedicated veterinarians are there to care them. Medicines are prepared in the hospital itself. Within 6 months more than 30 elephants came there to have a better living.

• Elephant village of Kerala


• Elephant race in Kerala


• Elephant ride in Kerala


• Elephant expert from Kerala


• Elephant art
• Elephant Book

Elephant news from Kerala

Thriprayar Ramachandran and Ravipuram Govindan in news about their lengthy tusks and their problems.....

Kuttipappan with elephants in his journey to the almighty.....

Aanakkundoru katha parayan-Jumbo tales

Mr. Sreekumar Arookkutty, author of the book' aanakkundoru katha parayan' also the director of the programme E4 Elephant in Kairali TV. Picture courtsey:The Hindu

Every elephant has a story to tell that's the theme behind the book 'Aanakkundoru katha parayan' a book by Sreekumar Arookkutty, is very interesting and informative for the elephant craze people around the world. The writer who is the director of the Program 'E4 Elephant' in Kairali TV is sharing his own experience with the captive elephants of Kerala. The book explains the history and their present status in the festivals of Kerala in their own words. Surely this book will invoke the love towards elephants in the minds of readers. This book covers the stories of 57 captive elephants of kerala. In each story he covers its auspicious signs(lakshanangal), its present owner, its relations with owner, mahout and others, its peculiarities,its popularity, comparison with its contemporary elephants and many many more. Its a wonderful attempt in the elephant field of Kerala. Through this book writer conveys the difficulties of an elephant owner, the dedication of mahouts and it reveals the world around a chained elephant trying to explore the history behind its violent behaviors. This book also contains the address and phone numbers of elephant owners of Kerala.Surely this book is a feast to the elephant lovers.
The book starts with the most famous elephant of Sri Guruvayoorappa -'Guruvayoor Padmanabhan' and then he narrates the story of 'Sri ParamekkavuSree Parameswaran' the elephant living through our hearts. The other elephants are Guruvayoor Valiyakeshavan(Punnathoor Kotta)

Nandilathu Gopalakrishnan(passed)

Pambady Rajan

Saj Prasad(passed)

Thechikkottu kavu Ramachandran

Ezhuthachan Sreenivasan

Kuttankulangara Ramadas

Kodungalloor Gireeshan

Ezhuthachan shivashankaran(passed)

Poothrukkovil Ganapathy

Kongad Kutty shankaran

Thiruvambadi Shivasunder

Mangalamkunnu Ganapathy

Thirunakkara Shivan

Mangalamkunnu Ayyappan

Karunagappally Mahadevan

Thrikkadavoor Shivaraju

Kuttankulangara Arjunan

Chirakkal Kalidasan

Cherppulassery Parthan

Asiad Appu

Chirakkal Mahadevan

Iringappuram Prakashshankar

Puthenkulam Ananthapadmanabhan

Mangalamkunnu Karnan

Kolakolli(passed)

Shenoy Chandrashekharan

Puthenkulam Mahadevan

Paramekkavu Padmanabhan

Thiruvambadi Kuttishankaran

Thriprayar Ramachandran

Thadathavila Suresh

Cherthala Prameela

Bastian Vinayashankar

Manisseri Raghuram

Mullathu Ganapathy

Poomully Prithiraj

Iringolkavu Lakshmi

Ernakulam Shivakumar

Gurujiyil Shivanarayanan

Muthumala moorthi

Nakeri Ayyappan

Pallathankulangara Gireeshan

Oottoli Rajashekharan

Adiyatt Ayyappan

Kiran Narayanan kutty

Guruvayoormukundan

Eerattupetta Ayyappan

PullukulangaraGaneshan

Malayalappuzha Rajan

Chullipparambil Vishnushankar

Muthumala Rathi

Ravipuram Govindan

Thiruvanikkavu Jayaram Kannan

Kidangoor Sethu Lakshmi

You can buy this book from this link

Elephants with Identity cards

It is assumed that all captive elephants of Kerala have their own identity cards. The identity card, called microchip contains a 10digit number which can be read by a card reader. All details of the elephants will be imprinted on the chip such as history, owner and physical details. The microchip in the size of a grain will be fixed under the left ear of the elephant. Elephants without microchip can not partcipate in any events.
More on this news
Related entries:Shelter for retired elephants
Twin elephants from Konni elephant Kraal
What are they eating ?????
Asiad Appu and Kuttinarayanan

Aanakkottil

Aanakkottil is elephant shed. Most of our religious festivals will be incomplete without elephants. Most of the temples have permanent facilities to incorporate elephants during festive seasons. Its also called 'seva panthal'. This is a part of temple construction. This indicate elephants have a prestigious place in kerala's culture. More

• Guruvayoor Valiya Keshavan
• Paramekkavu Parameswaran
  

Join elephant conservation programs

Threats to elephants..

• Poaching for Ivory
• Destruction of natural habitat
• Human-elephant conflict
• Illegal capture of wild elephants for tourism

Join elephant conservation progarams....

A humble attempt to explore nature: Shades of violet

A humble attempt to explore nature: Shades of violet

Elephant tourism

Chinnar wild life sanctuary
Wild life sanctuary is a confined area in which the eco system, animals and birds are protected by the Government.
Chinnar wild life sanctuary
A unique one of its kind with a variety of animals. It is located at 60Km from Munnar and 180Km from Kochi. The nearest town is Marayoor. Nearest Railway station in Kerala is Alwaye. Munnar-Udumal pett road is passing through the sanctuary. Its a wonderful site to observe the mammals Elephants and tiger.

Money plant Mandaram Changalam peranda

Guruvayoor Keshavan

Another film is in progress based on the life of the legendary elepphant Guruvayoor Keshavan. It is based on the novel named 'Guruvayoor Keshavan' written by Puthoor Unnikrishnan. Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran is acting as Guruvayoor Keshavan. It is a great honour to him to be a part of the story of his ancestor. Chirayckal gopi, a young tusker of Kerala is doing the younger stages of Guruvayoor Keshavan.
Surya TV is telecasting a serial based on his legendary life. This may be the first one of its kind in India. 'Gajarajan Guruvayoor Keshavan' is the title of this serial.
Guruvayoor Keshavan
Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran

Kodanad

Kodanad is waiting for International training centre for Mahouts.

Thekkady

Image courtesy:www.thekkadywildcorridor.com/

• You can have an elephant ride through the jungle at Thekkady. All the facilities are arranged by Forest Department of Kerala.


• Trekking:Interesting trekking areas, mainly Kurishumala, pullumedu and Ottakkathalmedu.


• Boating trips: enjoy the wild beauty from a safe distance and can take photos of wild animals.

Telephone numbers : 91-486-322620

91-486-322028

91-486-322027,322028

Thumba poovu

Chingam...Kanni.... Panchamritham

Elephant camps

In Kerala there are 7 Elephant camps run by Forest Department of Kerala.

1. Konni
2. Kodanad
3. Muthanga
4. Nilambur
5. Aryankavu
6. Thekkady
7. Tholpetti

More about the elehphant camps of Kerala

Aana vayil Amabzhanga

mozha elephants at Punnathur Kotta

Mozha elephants-Tuskless male elephants are called mozha elephants. There are two mozha elephants at Punnathur kotta. Guruvayur Balakrishnan and Guruvayur Junior Lakshmanan. These elephants have less demand compared to tuskers in festive seasons. So they are more healthy than other members. E4 elephant the program in Kairali TV is an excellent one giving a close look to the kerala captive elephants.