Role of Elephants in the Culture of Kerala - the supporting factor of Tourism
Elephants are the integral part of temple festivals which include at least one elaborately
decorated elephant for the festivals. Elephants carry the idol throughout yearly festival processions and customary circumambulation in the Hindu temples. The temple elephants are
decorated with gold-plated caparisons ("nettipattam"), bells, and charms.
People climb up on the elephants hold tinselled silk umbrellas
("muttukuda") up high, oscillation white tufts
("vencamaram") and peacock feather fans ("alavattam") to
the tempo of the traditional drums (chenda). Most of the Hindu temples in Kerala own elephants, and a great
number of which are donated by followers. The popular Guruvayur temple has nearly 60 elephants. The world's only
Elephant Palace is located in Punnattur Kotta, 3 km from the Guruvayur temple,
to house the temple's elephants. In
the monsoon season, the elephants undergo Ayurvedic rejuvenation treatments
which include decoctions with herbs, etc. It is called Sukha Chikitsa in the
Malayalam language.
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