The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Grand welcome awaits Guruvayur Padmanabhan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 10, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Grand welcome awaits Guruvayur Padmanabhan

Staff Reporter

Thiruvananthapuram: Elephant lovers in the city are preparing to accord a warm welcome to Gajaratnam Guruvayur Padmanabhan, the famed pachyderm who has held pride of place at the Guruvayur temple for over 50 years.

Padmanabhan is being brought to the capital city for the first time.

The visit has been organised in connection with the festival at Mahadevar temple, Parassala, and Vishnupuram Mahavishnu temple, Perumbazhudur.

Endowed with a trunk touching the ground and a shapely figure, he is also known for calm and obedient behaviour and has never run amok during a festival.

Though Padmanabhan is surpassed by some of his peers in height and stance, the magnetic appeal that has endeared him to thousands of elephant fans is considered a unique attribute.

Presented to the temple on January 18, 1954, he has carried the Thangathidambu for over 50 years. Padmanabhan currently holds the record for the highest fee collected by an elephant when he bagged Rs.2,22,222 for participating in a temple procession in Palakkad in April 2004.

He has also been the focus of attention at the Thrissur Pooram, a number of times.

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