Elephant the King of Animals in Kerala : http://www.neelaearth.com
Elephants have been an integral part of cultural Kerala from time immemorial. These huge mammals have always been loved, revered, groomed and given a prestigious place in the state's culturescape.
Most joint families in the past owned elephants and their increasing number was considered a symbol of the family's status. But today only a handful of families own an elephant. The rest have entrusted these treasured possessions to the Devaswoms or temple managements owing to the degeneration of the joint family system and the rising cost of maintaining elephants.
Guruvayoor Kesavan is perhaps the most popular of the temple's pachyderms. Kesavan was donated to the Guruvayoor temple by the royal family of Nilambur in 1916 when he was five years old. There are many stories about this elephant which have become part of the legends of the land. In its natural habitat (the jungles), man and tigers are the enemies of wild elephant herds, but once they are captured and tamed, they become the gentle friends of their human owners. Their attitude, life and habits change. Elephants are at first slow in grasping the commands taught to them but once they do, they remember it for decades.
Hindus worship an elephant headed god - Ganapathy (the son of Lord Siva), hence elephants are also revered and considered a good omen by Keralites. These gentle beasts have the privilege of carrying the idols of gods during the temple festivals and processions. So during the festival season in Kerala (January - May) elephants can be frequently sighted with their mahouts on the highways. Earlier they were transported in lorries to distant temples, but this practice was banned a couple of years ago considering the comfort and safety of the beasts. Kodanad and Konni are the two places where elephants are trained and groomed.
The forests of Kerala are the natural habitats of the Asian elephant. (Maximus indus).
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