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Temple Elephants
Temple elephants are a type of captive elephant. Many major temples own elephants; others hire or are donated elephants during the festive seasons. Temple elephants are usually wild animals, poached from the forests of North East India from wild herds at a young age and then sold into captivity to temples. Their treatment in captivity has been the subject of controversy and condemnation by some, while others claim that elephants form a vital part of the socio-economic framework of many temple ceremonies and festivals in India, particularly in the South. The largest elephant stable in India is Punnathurkotta of the temple of Guruvayur; it has about 59 captive elephants; it currently houses 58 captive elephants, of which 53 are adult males and 5 are females. Gallery on elephants File:Painted temple elephant - Kanchipuram.jpg, Painted temple elephant - Kanchipuram. File:Hampi, India, Temple elephant of Virupaksha Temple, Lakshmi.jpg, Temple elephant of Virupaksha Temple, Laksh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Temple Elephant At Kanchi
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called church (building), churches), Hinduism (whose temples are called Mandir), Buddhism, Sikhism (whose temples are called Gurdwara, gurudwara), Jainism (whose temples are sometimes called derasar), Islam (whose temples are called mosques), Judaism (whose temples are called synagogues), Zoroastrianism (whose temples are sometimes called Agiary), the Baha'i Faith (which are often simply referred to as Baha'i House of Worship), Taoism (which are sometimes called Daoguan), Shinto (which are sometimes called Shinto shrine, Jinja), Confucianism (which are sometimes called the Temple of Confucius), and ancient religions such as the Ancient Egyptian religion and the Ancient Greek religion. The form and function of temples are thus very variable, though they are often considered by belie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sree Poornathrayesa Temple
Sree Poornathrayesa temple (in Malayalam: ) is a Hindu temple situated in Tripunithura, Kochi, the capital of the former Kingdom of Cochin, Kerala, India. The temple is considered among the greatest temples in Kerala and was the first among eight royal temples of the erstwhile Kochi Kingdom. The deity was also considered the national deity of Cochin and protector guardian of Tripunithura. The deity in this temple is Lord Vishnu, who is in the form of ''Santhanagopala Murthy''. Lord Poornathrayeesa is known for his love of elephants. Hence more than 40 elephants participate in his ''Vrishchikotsavam''. And most of the elephants are sent for the (festival) without a money return expected by the elephant owners as Poornathrayeesa is considered to be an elephant lover. The temple is famous for its yearly or festivals. The main one is the , [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephants In Hinduism
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. The order was formerly much more diverse during the Pleistocene, but most species became extinct during the Late Pleistocene epoch. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive skin. The trunk is used for breathing, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears, and convex or level backs. Elephants are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephants In Indian Culture
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. The order was formerly much more diverse during the Pleistocene, but most species became extinct during the Late Pleistocene epoch. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive skin. The trunk is used for breathing, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears, and convex or level backs. Elephants a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephants
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. The order was formerly much more diverse during the Pleistocene, but most species became extinct during the Late Pleistocene epoch. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive skin. The trunk is used for breathing, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears, and convex or level backs. Elephants are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thrissur Pooram
The Thrissur ''Pooram'' is an annual Hindu temple festival held in Thrissur, Kerala, India. It is held at the Vadakkunnathan (Shiva) Temple in Thrissur every year on the ''Pooram'' (pronounced ) day—the day when the moon rises with the ''Pooram'' star in the Malayalam Calendar month of ''Medam''. It is the largest and most famous of all poorams in India.Melton, J. Gordon''Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations Vol. I'' ABC-CLIO, 2011, p. 700. History Thrissur Pooram (തൃശ്ശൂര് പൂരം) was the brainchild of Rama Varma Kunhjippilla Thampuran, or Rama Varma IX, famously known as Sakthan Thampuran, the Maharaja of Cochin (1790–1805). Before the start of Thrissur Pooram, the largest temple festival in Kerala was the one-day festival held at Aarattupuzha known as Arattupuzha Pooram. Temples in and around the city of Thrissur were regular participants. In the year 1798 because ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guruvayur Keshavan
Gajarajan Guruvayur Keshavan (1912—2 December 1976) is perhaps the most famous and celebrated temple elephant in Kerala, India. Keshavan was donated to the Guruvayur temple by the royal family of Nilambur on 4 January 1922 . Standing over 3.2.8 meters tall, he was one of the tallest elephants that lived in Kerala and was known for his devout behavior. As Keshavan's name and fame increased, the Devaswom board gave him the unique title ''Gajarajan (King of elephants)'' in 1973. Keshavan died on 2 December 1976, which happened to be Guruvayur Ekadasi, considered a very auspicious day. The anniversary of his death is still mourned in Guruvayur. Many elephants line up before the statue and the chief elephant garlands it. After his death, Guruvayur Padmanabhan became the successor of Guruvayur Keshavan. Life Guruvayur Keshavan was captured from Nilambur forest and taken to the famous Nilambur Royal family as their 12th elephant. According to Guruvayur lore, Valiya Raja of Nilamb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Animal Worship
The term Animal worship (or zoolatry) is an umbrella term designating religious or ritual practices involving animals. This includes the worship of animal deities or animal sacrifice. An animal 'cult' is formed when a species is taken to represent a religious figure ( Teeter et al., 2002, p. 355). Animal cults can be classified according to their formal features or by their symbolic content ( Thomas 1911, p. 51). The classical author Diodorus situated the origin of animal worship in a myth in which the gods, threatened by giants, disguised themselves as animals. The people then began to worship these animals and continued even after the gods returned to their normal state ( Lubbock, 2005, p. 252). In 1906, Weissenborn suggested that animal worship resulted from humans fascination with the natural world. Primitive man would observe an animal that had a unique trait and the inexplicability would engender curiosity ( Weissenborn, 1906b, p. 282). Wonder resulte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnataka'' in 1973. The state corresponds to the Carnatic region. Its capital and largest city is Bengaluru. Karnataka is bordered by the Lakshadweep Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Telangana to the northeast, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. It is the only southern state to have land borders with all of the other four southern Indian sister states. The state covers an area of , or 5.83 percent of the total geographical area of India. It is the sixth-largest Indian state by area. With 61,130,704 inhabitants at the 2011 census, Karnataka is the eighth-largest state by population, comprising 31 districts. Kannada, one of the classical languages of India, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahout Washing His Elephant
A mahout is an elephant rider, trainer, or keeper. Mahouts were used since antiquity for both civilian and military use. Traditionally, mahouts came from ethnic groups with generations of elephant keeping experience, with a mahout retaining his elephant throughout its working life or service years. Mahouts would often ride on a howdah placed on the back of their elephant. Etymology The word ''mahout'' derives from the Hindi words ''mahaut'' (महौत) and ''mahavat'' (महावत), and originally from the Sanskrit ''mahamatra'' (महामात्र). Another term is ''cornac'' or ''kornak'', which entered many European languages via Portuguese. This word derives ultimately from the Sanskrit term ''karināyaka'', a compound of ''karin'' (elephant) and ''nayaka'' (leader). In Telugu, a person who takes care of elephants is called a ''mavati''; this word is also derived from Sanskrit. In Tamil, the word used is ''pahan'', which means "elephant keeper", and in S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hampi
Hampi or Hampe, also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hampi (town), Hampi town, Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India. Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century. It was a fortified city. Chronicles left by Persian and European travellers, particularly the Portuguese, say that Hampi was a prosperous, wealthy and grand city near the Tungabhadra River, with numerous temples, farms and trading markets. By 1500 CE, Hampi-Vijayanagara was the world's second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at that time, attracting traders from Persia and Portugal. The Vijayanagara Empire was defeated by a coalition of Muslim sultanates; its capital was conquered, pillaged and destroyed by sultanate armies in 1565, after which Hampi remained in ruins. Located in Karnataka near the modern-era city of Hosapete, Hampi's ruins are spread over and it has been ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its temple architectures, 1000-pillared halls, huge temple towers and silk sarees. Kanchipuram serves as one of the most important tourist destinations in India. Kanchipuram has become a centre of attraction to the foreign tourists as well. The city covers an area of and an estimated population of more than 300,000 in 2021. It is the administrative headquarters of Kanchipuram District. Kanchipuram is well-connected by road and rail. Kanchipuram is a Tamil word formed by combining two words "Kanchi" and "-puram" meaning "Brahma" and "residential place" respectively and located on the banks of the Vegavathy and Palar river. Kanchipuram has been ruled by the Pallavas, the Medieval Cholas, the Later Cholas, the Later Pandyas, the Vijayanagara Empire, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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