Gajarajan Guruvayur Keshavan (c.1912—2 December 1976)[1][2] 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 .[2]
Standing over 3.28 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.[1][2] 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.
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 Nilambur once prayed to the Lord to save his family and property from the enemies attack. He promised to offer one of his many elephants if his wish is fulfilled. When his wish was fulfilled, he offered Keshavan to the temple on 4 January 1922.[3] Many people say that Keshavan bend his front-legs only before those who hold Lord’s Thidambu to enable them to climb upon him and all others were to climb by his hind-legs. He is said to have never caused any bodily harm to anyone and had the ability to lift his head a much height as possible for hours while carrying Thidambu. [4] Keshavan was also famous for winning in many Guruvayur Aanyottam (elephant race). Legend says that , Keshavan defeated Akhori Govindan, a famous elephant from outside of Guruvayur in the 1930's Aanayottam. In 1973, Keshavan became the first elephant to get honoured with the unique title "Gajarajan" (Elephant King), by the Guruvayur Devaswom. During the Guruvayur Ekadasi of 1976, Keshavan fell ill and was about to tremble during the deity procession. He was immediately taken to the stable where he fasted for the night and died few days later on 2 December 1976. He fasted for the entire day and dropped down facing the direction of the temple with his trunk raised as a mark of prostration.[5] His death anniversary is still celebrated on the evening of every year's Ekadasi by the elephants of Guruvayur Devaswom lining up before Keshavan's statue and the chief elephant garlanding it, thus paying tribute.[6]
Legacyedit
The Guruvayur Devaswom erected a life-size statue of Keshavan in its precincts as tribute to the services he rendered to the presiding deity of the temple. His tusks, along with a majestic portrait of the elephant, can be still seen adorning the entrance to the main temple enclosure. Its life is the subject of the 1977 Malayalam feature film Guruvayur Kesavan, released the year after his death.[7] The film was directed by Bharathan, starring M. G. Soman, Adoor Bhasi, Sankaradi, Bahadoor, Jayabharathi, Vennira Aadai Nirmala (Ushakumari), Veeran, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Junior Sheela, M S Nambudiri, N Govindankutty, Paravoor Bharathan and Manavalan Joseph. Nayarambalam Shivaji was in the lead role as Guruvayur Kesavan. The cinematography of the film was done by Ashok Kumar. The story of Guruvayur Keshavan is portrayed in a television serial on Surya TV (2009—2010), scripted by Pradeep Sivasankar, starring Captain Raju, KPAC Sajeev, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Salu Menon and Kollam Ajith.[8]
^ ab. Guruvayur Devaswom. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
^ abc. The Hindu. 11 December 2005. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
^"Why This Kerala Elephant's Death Anniversary is Celebrated". NDTV.com. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
^"നിലമ്പൂര് കോവിലകത്തെ കൊച്ചു കേശവന് എങ്ങനെ ഗുരുവായൂര് നടയിലെത്തി". Janmabhumi. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
^"ഗജരാജൻ ഗുരുവായൂർ കേശവനെ ഓർക്കാതെ പൂർണ്ണമാകുമോ ഓരോ ഗുരുവായൂർ ആനയോട്ടവും !|Guruvayoor Anayottam 2020". East Coast Daily Malayalam. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
^. cms.newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
^"Guruvayoor Kesavan (1977)". www.malayalachalachithram.com. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
^Aravind, Indulekha. "Temple elephants: What makes temple elephants so popular in Kerala". The Economic Times. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guruvayur Keshavan.
Guruvayoor Devaswom webpage 10 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine
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For the 1977 film see Guruvayur Kesavan film Gajarajan Guruvayur Keshavan c 1912 2 December 1976 1 2 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 2 Guruvayur KeshavanGuruvayur Keshavan s statueSpeciesElephas maximus Asian Elephant SexMaleBornc 1912 KeralaDied2 December 1976GuruvayurResting placeNilambur KeralaNation fromIndiaKnown forThrissur Pooram Thripunithura Valiya Utsavam Aarattupuzha Kizhoor Nenmara and other PooramsPredecessorGuruvayur Valiya PadmanabhanSuccessorGuruvayur PadmanabhanOwnerGuruvayur DevaswomWeight7 tonsHeight3 28 m 10 ft 9 in Named afterKeshavan Standing over 3 28 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 1 2 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 Contents 1 Life 2 Legacy 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksLife editGuruvayur 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 Nilambur once prayed to the Lord to save his family and property from the enemies attack He promised to offer one of his many elephants if his wish is fulfilled When his wish was fulfilled he offered Keshavan to the temple on 4 January 1922 3 Many people say that Keshavan bend his front legs only before those who hold Lord s Thidambu to enable them to climb upon him and all others were to climb by his hind legs He is said to have never caused any bodily harm to anyone and had the ability to lift his head a much height as possible for hours while carrying Thidambu 4 Keshavan was also famous for winning in many Guruvayur Aanyottam elephant race Legend says that Keshavan defeated Akhori Govindan a famous elephant from outside of Guruvayur in the 1930 s Aanayottam In 1973 Keshavan became the first elephant to get honoured with the unique title Gajarajan Elephant King by the Guruvayur Devaswom During the Guruvayur Ekadasi of 1976 Keshavan fell ill and was about to tremble during the deity procession He was immediately taken to the stable where he fasted for the night and died few days later on 2 December 1976 He fasted for the entire day and dropped down facing the direction of the temple with his trunk raised as a mark of prostration 5 His death anniversary is still celebrated on the evening of every year s Ekadasi by the elephants of Guruvayur Devaswom lining up before Keshavan s statue and the chief elephant garlanding it thus paying tribute 6 Legacy editThe Guruvayur Devaswom erected a life size statue of Keshavan in its precincts as tribute to the services he rendered to the presiding deity of the temple His tusks along with a majestic portrait of the elephant can be still seen adorning the entrance to the main temple enclosure Its life is the subject of the 1977 Malayalam feature film Guruvayur Kesavan released the year after his death 7 The film was directed by Bharathan starring M G Soman Adoor Bhasi Sankaradi Bahadoor Jayabharathi Vennira Aadai Nirmala Ushakumari Veeran Oduvil Unnikrishnan Junior Sheela M S Nambudiri N Govindankutty Paravoor Bharathan and Manavalan Joseph Nayarambalam Shivaji was in the lead role as Guruvayur Kesavan The cinematography of the film was done by Ashok Kumar The story of Guruvayur Keshavan is portrayed in a television serial on Surya TV 2009 2010 scripted by Pradeep Sivasankar starring Captain Raju KPAC Sajeev Kaviyoor Ponnamma Salu Menon and Kollam Ajith 8 See also editCultural depictions of elephants Elephants in Kerala culture Guruvayur Temple List of individual elephantsReferences edit a b Gajarajan Kesavan Guruvayur Devaswom Archived from the original on 10 March 2018 Retrieved 10 March 2018 a b c Guruvayur Kesavan remembered The Hindu 11 December 2005 Archived from the original on 12 March 2007 Retrieved 10 March 2018 Why This Kerala Elephant s Death Anniversary is Celebrated NDTV com Retrieved 27 June 2021 ന ലമ പ ര ക വ ലകത ത ക ച ച ക ശവന എങ ങന ഗ ര വ യ ര നടയ ല ത ത Janmabhumi Retrieved 27 June 2021 ഗജര ജൻ ഗ ര വ യ ർ ക ശവന ഓർക ക ത പ ർണ ണമ ക മ ഓര ഗ ര വ യ ർ ആനയ ട ടവ Guruvayoor Anayottam 2020 East Coast Daily Malayalam Retrieved 27 June 2021 Guruvayur Ekadasi today The New Indian Express cms newindianexpress com Archived from the original on 27 June 2021 Retrieved 27 June 2021 Guruvayoor Kesavan 1977 www malayalachalachithram com Retrieved 9 January 2021 Aravind Indulekha Temple elephants What makes temple elephants so popular in Kerala The Economic Times Retrieved 9 January 2021 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guruvayur Keshavan Guruvayoor Devaswom webpage Archived 10 July 2006 at the Wayback Machine Guruvayur Keshavan at IMDb nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Guruvayur Keshavan amp oldid 1211958832, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
