Raja a National Heritage

The whole of Sri Lanka should get down on their knees and honour and worship these gentle giants. The elephant has always served Sri Lanka since time immemorial. The service these gentle giants have rendered is tremendous. Sri Lanka and the world are indebted to the elephants. These gentle giants have served not only Sri Lanka, but the rest of the world as well.

The elephant has always been a part of Sri Lankan culture. The Elephant Kandula served the mighty King Dutugemunu. In a decisive battle with Ellalan, the India King, King Dutugemunu rode Kandula. During that era, war elephants were used in battle. Ellalan's own war elephant is said to have been Maha Pabbatha. King Dutugemunu managed to win the battle.

Nadungamuwe Raja is one such elephant that has served Sri Lanka. He is as famous as Kandula. In fact, the Cabinet of Ministers have granted its consent to the proposal forwarded by the Prime Minister to declare the Nadungamuwe Raja tusker as a national heritage.

Nadungamuwe Raja at the Dalada Perahera in Kandy.

Daily News spoke to former Secretary, Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Professor Kapila Gunawardhane, on what the elephant meant to Sri Lanka and its legacy.

“This elephant served this country for over 10 years and it deserves our respect and gratitude. This elephant is a National Treasure. The task of carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic is a solemn and sacred duty and Raja, the elephant always fulfilled its duty. It is so important to honour this elephant. The elephant has always been a part of Buddhist culture in this country. In fact, the elephant is a symbol of Buddhist culture. It has always been a part of Sri Lankan culture from the time of Kings. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that this elephant should be a celebrated elephant. During the time that this elephant was alive, people venerated this elephant. The elephant’s devotion to duty never wavered and the people of Sri Lanka loved this animal,” explained Gunawardhane.

Nadungamuwe Raja, a tusker which carried the Sacred Relics Casket of the Kandy Esala Perahera the most number of times died on March 7, 2022, at the age of 69 years. He carried the Sacred Tooth Relics Casket at the Esala Perahera for 12 years. It was no easy task. Not for the faint-hearted.

We are told that the tusker used to walk around 90 kilometres to the city of Kandy for the Esala Perahera. He walked 25 to 30 kilometres a day, travelling mostly at night when it is cooler, yet there were times when the tusker had to travel on searing tar roads in the blazing heat. Yet he showed no weakness and did not protest.

We know that the Esala Perahera involves nearly 100 elephants and traditional dancers, fire-eaters and drummers, and is a key tourist attraction. We are told that the elephants may feel uncomfortable with all this action taking place. Yet Raja was strong and had nerves of steel. That is the only reason he was able to do it for 12 years. Indeed, Sri Lanka is indebted to this tusker. The Esala Perahera brings in hundreds of tourists from abroad. Not only did this elephant carry the Sacred Tooth Relics Casket, he was a boon to the Sri Lanka economy.

The powerful tusker was a celebrated elephant 10.5 feet tall. He had his own retinue of soldiers who were there to protect him. The trust placed in him was enormous. He was the bearer of the Sacred Tooth Relics Casket.

Nadungamuwe Raja at his home.

Throughout history men have placed their trust in elephants. Hannibal of Carthage marched his troops, including cavalry and African war elephants, across a high pass in the Alps, in a move that stunned the Romans. The Greek Historian Polybius said – “Since neither the men nor the animals could be sure of their footing on account of the snow, any who stepped wide of the path or stumbled, overbalanced and fell down the precipices.” Finally, Hannibal succeeded in getting his elephants across.

Truly elephants are one of the most extraordinary creatures on the planet. In Hindu mythology, the Hindu god Ganesh, is depicted as a human with an elephant’s head. The Earth is supported and guarded by mythical World Elephants according to the Hindu cosmology of ancient India. This just goes to show that the elephant has always been regarded as an animal of great strength and power. The elephant has also been associated with the birth of the Buddha.

The fact that the elephant is a gentle giant has been recorded elsewhere in history. The Roman writer Gaius Plinius Secundus (23-79), writing about the elephant says ‘When an elephant happens to meet a man in the desert and merely wanders about, the animal shows both mercy and kindness to him, and even points the way out.”

Raja was born c. 1953 in Mysore, India. He was named after Nadungamuwa, the village in which he resided. We are told that Raja was attended by four mahouts over his lifetime- Seaman, Soma, Simon, and finally Wilson Kodithuwakku, who cared for Raja for more than 15 years. According to Buddhist belief after we die, we are born again. Because of his meritorious deeds, it is quite possible that Raja’s next birth will be that of a human.

Nadungamuwe Raja walks to Kandy under armed guard.