Blessed

Today is Guruvayur Ekadasi, a very auspicious day at the Sri Krishna Temple, Guruvayur, Kerala. Ekadasi is the 11th phase of the moon and the Guruvayur Ekadasi falls in the Malayalam month of Vrichikkam which coincides with November 15th to December 15th of the English Calendar. Being devout bhakthas of Lord Guruvayurappa, it is but natural that all of us observe the Ekadasi rituals and abstain from consuming those articles considered taboo. Since a trip to Guruvayur is impractical, the best that I could do was to go to the local Guruvayurappan temple and offer prayers. I am not sure of the reason for the celebration of this Ekadasi or the legend behind it, however from the time I can remember, it has been the norm in my household for the ladies to observe this day.
The reason why I write this article is because; the day has become synonymous in Guruvayur with the memorial day of Gajarajan Guruvayur Kesavan. Guruvayur Kesavan as most Malayalis would know is an elephant that belonged to the temple for sixty years from 1916-1976 and he breathed his last on Guruvayur Ekadasi day. It is said that he fasted the whole day and towards the evening just collapsed with his tusk held high and facing the deity. A death any Bhaktha of the Lord would yearn for. To commemorate the life of this greatest of Bhakthas of the Lord, a life size replica of Kesavan stands at a vantage point in Guruvayur and his tusks encase his photo at the entrance to the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Kerala is the land of coconut palms, backwaters, beautiful temples and wonderful temple festivals. If there is one animal that plays a significant part in the day to day functioning of the temples, it is of course the mighty pachyderms. It is the pride of the temple to own a Pachyderm and there are those temples which own more than one. Sri Krishna Temple being one of the oldest and most revered temples of Kerala; it is but natural that the temple has been gifted with elephants right through its history. At present the temple has over 100 elephants. These elephants are sheltered in a sprawling venue called Punathur Kotta situated about 3kms from the temple. With the temple having enough funds, the elephants are cared for very well and every year they are given a month’s rest when they undergo ayurvedic treatment.
Kesavan the pachyderm belonged to the Nilambur royal family and was donated to the Guruvayur temple in the year 1916 when he was about 12 years of age. His majestic appearance and his fine temperament must have earned him that extra edge for very soon he was brought into the temple for the daily activities. It was just a matter of time before he replaced the erstwhile head Pachyderm Padmanabhan. In his 60 long years of service to the Lord, he has had the privilege of heading all the temple processions and of taking part in the innumerable Sribalis (circumambulation of the sanctum sanctorum) with the Utsava Deity on his back. I don’t think there has been any elephant in the history of the temple or for that matter in the State of Kerala that was as popular as Kesavan. Since he was almost always present in the temple courtyard, a visit to the temple ensured an interaction with Kesavan too. Those were the days when the temple was not as crowded as what it is today and we as kids would place some banana or few coins on the tip of his trunk and he would in turn bless us by placing his trunk on our head. A trip to Guruvayur always seemed incomplete without seeing Kesavan and most devotees would make it a point to go and see him in the grounds adjacent to the temple where he would be tied. Thus Kesavan had become an integral part of the temple and by being so had also become a legend in his life time.
How often does this kind of reverence happen? I am yet to hear of an animal gaining in stature to such dizzying heights so as to be considered as someone next to the Lord. The Hindu puranas have always worshipped animals and all the Gods have had as their vahanas/ vehicles an animal. This is the greatness of the religion which sees all living things in the same light. Thus if Siva has a bull, then it is a mouse for Vinayaka, a peacock for Muruga, a garuda for Vishnu and thus the list goes on. If our ancient scriptures can extol the virtues of these animals and if our religious beliefs can make us accept them as being holy, I see no reason as to why Kesavan the pachyderm cannot be considered in league with the other revered animals which are the vahanas of specific Gods. If in future the historians consider writing once again the history of The Sri Krishna Temple and that of Lord Guruvayurappan, I am sure they would refer to Kesavan as the vahana of the Lord. Sixty years is not a small duration and I am sure there will not be another elephant that will be get this opportunity.
If the 16th and 17th Centuries produced two of the greatest devotees of the Lord, namely Poonthanam who wrote the Njanappaana and Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri who wrote the Narayaneeyam, it is my strong opinion that the 20th century has had only one undisputed devotee and that is none other than Guruvayur Kesavan. The two above mentioned poets have been honoured with their statues inside the courtyard of the temple and in case of Melpathur; the Narayaneeyam is played every day in the morning. Kesavan is omnipresent in Guruvayur and from every nook and corner his picture on wall hangings calls for our attention. Kesavan’s picture adorns the walls of so many Malayali homes and his story is something that every school going child knows. If the talk is about elephants, (which is a common topic of conversation in Kerala) it is sure to steer towards Kesavan for all Pachyderms are always compared to the mighty Kesavan.
It is 33 years since his death, but his legend lives stronger than ever before. He is definitely the Gajarajan (King among elephants) a title endowed on him for his fifty years of service to the Lord. His life was special and the grandest finale to life which is death was even more stupendous. The multitudes of true bhakthas who live on this planet cannot even dream of a mukthi like the one given to Kesavan.
It is very rare for someone to be earmarked for something special and in keeping with the Hindu belief, it just shows that that someone need not always be a homo sapien, the so called highest of creation. I consider myself blessed to have lived in the era of this Blessed Bhaktha.
Posted by Usha Kumar at 2:15 AM
4 comments:

Mohan Kumar said...
Very Enlightening even for some for some of living in Kerala. Incidentally, we will be going to Guruvayur next week and will certainly this perspective in mind.
December 3, 2009 12:38 AM

Sankaran said...
I am aware that elephant is considered as a holy animal and it is a common sight in Tamilnadu and Kerala to find one or more elephants in all big temples. I never thought that Guruvayur elephant had gained stature to such dizzying heights so as to be considered as someone next to the Lord.
December 5, 2009 12:31 PM

Geeta said...
Another thorough research, Usha. Great info!
December 8, 2009 5:35 AM