In India there are a large number of elephants. This large mammal thrives in the southern and eastern parts of the jungles of India. The Indian elephant is slightly dwarfed by the African elephant which also has larger tusks.
At present the elephant is a protected species in India and shooting it punishable under the wild life protection act. It is estimated that there could be upwards of 80,000 elephants in India. The abundance of the elephant has led to its use in a number of fields. Thus elephants are used for carrying logs as well as for temple worship. This is a peculiarity of the elephant which can be easily domesticated and thus trained for temple worship.
Tallit
The elephant in Indian mythology is also the face of the Hindu God Ganesha or Ganpathi who was the son of Lord Shiva. The elephant is thus part of the psyche of the Hindus and is given great respect. The Guryvoor temple near Coimbatore also has an elephant farm which in itself rare sight, for such farm does not exist anywhere else in the world.
The Elephant is trained from a very young age in temple ritual worship. Being an intelligent beast it quickly picks up the rituals to be performed.Perhaps there is something uncanny in this temple worship by elephants is certainly a sight to behold.
Normally the elephant is taken for a scrub and wash before the prayer day. It is followed by decking the elephant with ornate flowers and silver bells. The elephant is then led to the temple to the accompaniment of conch shells and drums. At the temple the elephant will pay obeisance to the Lord Ganesha with his trunk. He will salute with his trunk and then carry on. Elephants also partake of Prasad -the holy food which is distributed by the priest.
The elephant all along displays great patience during the ceremony and it is a tribute that these mammals can partake in these sacred activities. The temple elephants are generally very well cared and they gracefully age in this captivity.
But there are animal rights activists who are against the use of these elephants for temple worship as they argue that the entire ceremony and forcing the elephant to take part are a part of cruelty to animals. However no law is passed by the Indian government to curb the use of elephants in temple worship and till that happens we can see this spectacle as it unfolds before our eyes. It certainly is a sight that can only be seen India.
Elephant and Temple Worship
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