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India has a very rich cultural and religious heritage, where many unique ways of carrying out traditions have been prevalent for centuries. Elephants have held a special and extremely important place in the temple culture in the states of South India, especially Kerala. Whenever there is talk of having the maximum number of elephants in any temple in the country, the name of the world famous Sri Krishna Temple i.e. Guruvayur Temple located in Thrissur district of Kerala is taken first. The number of elephants in this holy shrine dedicated to Lord Guruvayoorappam is the highest compared to any other religious place in the country. The devotees who come here not only donate gold, silver or wealth, but to fulfill their vows or because of their immense faith in God, they also donate giant elephants to the temple. This is the reason why Guruvayoor Temple has its own huge and grand Gajraj family of elephants, which remains the main center of attraction among tourists and devotees from across the country and the world.
The number of elephants near the Guruvayur temple is so high that it is not possible to keep them inside the temple premises. For this, a special and huge Gajaraj refugee camp is run by the temple management i.e. ‘Guruvayur Devaswom Board’, just a few kilometers away from the main temple, which is known as Punnathur Kotta or Anakkotta. This fort was once the residence of a local ruler, which was later converted into a residence for the temple elephants. More than sixty elephants are cared for in this unique elephant sanctuary at any one time. A large army of friends, mahouts, doctors and special cooks are deployed to serve and care for these giant creatures. The elephants have a fixed and disciplined daily schedule of bathing, feeding, health check-ups and massaging. When these decorated elephants walk in queues during temple festivals, fairs and main events, it is a sight to behold and fascinates everyone.
Whenever this unbreakable relationship between Guruvayur temple and elephants is discussed, the name of ‘Garajavu’ i.e. Gajraj Guruvayur Keshavam is taken with utmost respect. Kesavam is considered to be the most famous, and most revered elephant in the history of the Guruvayur temple. According to legends and history, this giant and extremely intelligent elephant was donated to Lord Guruvayoorappam by the royal family of Nilambur in the year 1922. Due to his amazing intelligence, disciplined nature and deep devotion towards God, Keshavam became an icon of faith among devotees across the country within a few years. Only Keshavam had the honor of carrying the golden idol of the Lord on his trunk during the main festivals of the temple. Even today, every year on the auspicious occasion of Guruvayoor Ekadashi, all the other elephants of the temple come to shreds and pay homage in front of the life-size statue of Guruvayoor Keshavam. This is proof that in these temples elephants are not just mere silent animals, but are considered family members and true servants of God.
Other major religious places in South India such as Vadakkunnathan Temple in Kerala, Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple and some ancient temples in Tamil Nadu also have an old tradition of keeping elephants for rituals. However, the number of elephants kept in temples has declined significantly across the country in the last few decades due to wildlife protection laws, strict rules of the Animal Welfare Board and huge expenditure on elephant maintenance. Today most of the temples have started using robotic or mechanical elephants for ceremonial or traditional celebrations so that the living wildlife does not have to suffer any kind of mental or physical pain. Despite this, this historic elephant camp at the Guruvayur temple still keeps its ancient tradition alive, where the elephants donated by the devotees are served with utmost dignity and care. This place presents a unique example of Indian culture for wildlife lovers and religious tourists, where a wonderful confluence of faith and kindness to animals can be seen.