Guruvayur - Punnathur Kotta Elep


Guruvayur - Punnathur Kotta Elephant Sanctuary

Guruvayur's Punnathur Kotta Elephant Sanctuary the only one of its kind in the World. Fifty elephants, aged from 6 to 93, live here, munching for most of the day on specially imported piles of fodder and cared for by their three personal mahouts, who wash and scrub them several times a week in the sanctuary pond - a great photo opportunity. Avoid the bulls on heat - the mahouts will warn you which ones they are - as they become aggressive and unpredictable; only approach an elephant if a mahout allows you.

All the animals are the personal possession of Lord Guruvayur, given to the temple by wealthy patrons from as far a field as Bihar and Assam; apart from the most elderly, who are allowed an honorable retirement, the elephants are gainfully employed in local temples, especially at the Guruvayur temple itself. All temples demand pretty elephants for their elaborate festivals, and the competition to rent a particularly favored beast can become a bitter auction between villages: the standard daily charge of Rs3500 per elephant once reached a record Rs75,000

(daily 9am-6pm; Rs5; Rs25 extra with camera)

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