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Sri Lankan elephant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Millangoda Raja (c. 1938 – 30 July 2011: Sinhala: මිල්ලන්ගොඩ රාජා), also known as Millangoda tusker, was a Sri Lankan elephant. Over 9 feet tall and with 7.5 foot (2.3 meters) long tusks, he was considered to be among the longest tusked captive Asian elephant during his lifetime. ("The longest African elephant tusk measured around 3.5m, the longest woolly mammoth tusk measured around 4m and the longest Asiatic elephant tusk measured around 3m.")[1][2][3] The tusker was one of the main casket bearers of the procession of Esala, an annual procession held to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha, held in Kandy, Sri Lanka.[4]
Millangoda Raja | |
|---|---|
| |
| Main casket bearer of the procession of Esala | |
| In office 1998–2008 | |
| Preceded by | Heiyantuduwa Raja |
| Succeeded by | Nadungamuwa Raja |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1938 Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) |
| Died | 30 July 2011 (aged 73) Kegalle, Sri Lanka |
| Resting place | Elephant Village, Molagoda, Kegalle |
Raja was captured at a jungle in Nawagaththegama, Anamaduwa, Puttalam District in 1945 when he was six or seven years old.[5] In Raja's herd, nineteen elephants were captured, 15 of them were sold in Anamaduwa Wev Pitiya. Thereafter, he was owned by M. R. A. Millangoda Appuhamy of Molagoda, Kegalle,[6] who owned five six-foot tall, eight year old small elephants, including Millangoda Raja.[4]
Millangoda Raja stood about 9 feet. His tusks were 7 feet 6 inches long. According to the owner, he was gigantic and majestic in appearance and had reportedly never been aggressive except during musth. The tusker was known to have had a fondness for eating jaggery and toffees.[7] Two mahouts have taken care of Raja.[8]
Millangoda Raja has participated in the Esala Perahera in Kandy for about 40 years. Raja first participated in the Perahera of the Maha Vishnu Devalaya in Kandy. Thereafter he has participated in the Esala Perahera as an elephant in the trunk of the elephant carrying the casket. Raja had the opportunity to carry the casket of the Tooth for about 10-12 years. After the death of the Raja elephant in Kandy, the Millangoda Raja got that opportunity. Raja last visited the Perahera procession in 2008.[9][8]
Raja's tusks gradually began to grow, and as he got older tusks grew to the point where he could not collide with the ground. When he lowered his head to eat, tusks hit the ground which made it very difficult for Raja to eat. He was suffering from food indigestion for over one year.[7] That's because the elephant's teeth fall out as it ages. At the same time the elephant has been weakened. At that time, the herdsmen had mentioned that when they he was sick, he was given figs, leaves and jackfruits to eat. It is said that the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave him energy foods through the Wildlife Department.[8][10]
When the elephant was in the last stage of his life, many bottles of saline with vitamins had to be given.[4] Before the death, pirith was chanted. After showing the Atapirikara to the elephant, it was gently touched and presented to the Buddhist monks. After the Pirith sermon and the tying of the Pirith strings, the elephant greeted the monks with great effort. The tusker died on 30 July 2011 at 12.25 pm and was about 73 years old at the time of his death.[11]
He was given funeral rites by a team of Buddhist monks. His corpse was preserved and placed on public display in a museum, which was constructed by Ananda Millangoda at the Elephant Village in Molagoda, Kegalle.[8]
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