It’s rejuvenation time for Guruvayoor temple’s elephants and artistes

The elephants of Guruvayoor temple are among the most blessed creatures on earth. Come monsoon and they are pampered with a 30-day rejuvenation therapy, known as ‘sukhachikilsa’, that involves body wraps, special diet and herbal tonics.

The elephants numbering 58 are housed in Punnathur Kotta, located 2 km away from the temple, which boasts of having the largest collection of captive elephants in the world. All the elephants are ritual offerings made by the devotees of Lord Guruvayurappa.
Apart from the elephants, the 70 odd Krishnanattam artistes of the temple also get a month-long rejuvenation therapy when the daily night perforpances remain suspended.

Artistes who handle `vesham’, music, Madhalam and chutti get ayurvedic oil massage and do strenuous physical exercises to make them fit enough to perform on stage.

The daily restorative therapy for the elephants, barring those in `musth’, starts with an elaborate and well-massaged bath in the ponds on the sprawling `aanakotta’ premises. They are then served with a sumptuous feast comprising rice, gram, digestive tonics like Ashtachurnam, mineral mixture, salt and other nutritional supplements. Allopathic medical supplements like Maltvirons are also given to the elephants daily during the `sukhachikitsa’.

The tuskers are divided into three categories, depending on their body weight, to calculate the amount of food they need. The elephants weighing 4,000 kg and above are included in ‘A’ category, those weighing 3,000 kg to 4,000 kg in the ‘B’ category and the others in the ‘C’ class.

The therapy is conducted under the supervision of veterinary doctors and elephant experts who ensure that the rejuvenation process is conducted scientifically. According to them, the elephants show considerable increase in body weight by about 150 kg to 250 kg after the therapy. There is also a positive change in the behaviour of the elephants after the therapy.

The Devaswom started the restoration therapy for elephants in a small way back in 1982, later it turned into a systematic and major annual programme toning up the health of the captive elephants. Now some other Devaswoms like the Cochin Devaswom Board, Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms have also started similar rejuvenative therapies for their elephants.

Taking the cue from Kerala temples, the Tamil Nadu Government has also launched a 45-day restorative therapy programme for captive elephants at the forest camp at Muthumala. Private parties could bring their elephants to the camp and the Tamil Nadu Government would bear the expense.

Many elephants of Guruvayoor like Guruvayoor Padmanabhan and Guruvayoor Kesavan have become legends in their own lifetime. Famous for their mammoth physique,intelligence and devotion to the Lord, they still enthrall the hearts of the elephant lovers worldwide.

In view of the rising number of elephants at aanakotta and the high cost of their maintainance, the Devaswom has discontinued elephant offering at the temple. Instead, the devotees who wish to make elephant offering are allowed to remit the cost of the elephant at the Devaswom. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was the last high-profile devotee to make an elephant offering at Guruvayoor temple.

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