Heiyantuduwa Raja (Sinhala:හෙයියන්තුඩුවේ රාජා)(c. 1924 – 6 November 2002) was a Sri Lankan elephant, which carried the Relic of the tooth of the Buddha casket in the Dalada Perahera for 11 years after the demise of Maligawa Raja. Heiyantuduwa Raja’s tusks were each 7 ft 6 in (2.3 m) in length when he was living, and it was considered one of the longest-tusked elephants in the country.[1]
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Heiyantuduwa Raja was captured from the Kattakaduwana jungle in Hambantota District. On 8 March 1945, the tusker had been publicly auctioned by then British Ceylon government at Hambantota Kachcheri. William Gunasekara (also known as ‘Heiyantuduwa Ralahami’) of Heiyantuduwa in Biyagama had bought him for 10,500 Rupees . Gunasekara was a wealthy landed proprietor and owned fourteen elephants at that era. Later, Heiyantuduwa Raja was owned by his youngest son, Henry Gunasekara of Kandy.
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Heiyantuduwe Raja participated at the Esala Perahera in Kandy for several years. After the demise of Maligawa Raja, he also carried the casket of tooth relic for 11 years from 1989 to 2000 with permission from Neranjan Wijeyeratne, then Diyawadana Nilame of Sri Dalada Maligawa. Carrying the casket of tooth relic was an opportunity bestowed upon only a few elephants in Sri Lanka. Heiyantuduwe Raja had also carried the main casket of Buddha’s relics at the Kelaniya Duruthu Perahera, Bellanwila Perahera and Gangaramaya Navam Perahera in addition to the Sri Dalada casket.
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Heiyantuduwa Raja died on 6 November 2002. He was about 78 years old at the time of his death. Despite an offer of 120,000 U.S. Dollars by a Japanese company, Henry Gunasekara gave his skeleton to the Sri Lankan government in recognition of his part in the nation’s heritage. Heiyantuduwa Raja’s skeleton has been on display to the public at the National Museum of Colombo since 29 January 2013 [2]
Raja (Sinhala: රාජා ඇතා – Raja Atha) (also known as Maligawa Raja, c. 1913 – 16 July 1988) was a Sri Lankan tusker elephant belonging to the Sri Dalada Maligawa temple in Kandy. Raja participated at the annual Esala procession in Kandy for around 50 years and was the sacred casket bearer of the final Randoli perehera for 37 years.[1] He was one of the most celebrated elephants in Asia during his lifetime, and was world famous for his noble behavior.[2] On 20 August 1986 former Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene declared Raja as a national treasure, in recognition of his valuable services to the religion and culture of Sri Lanka.[3]
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It is believed that Raja was born in the jungles of Eravur in Batticaloa District circa 1913.[3] He was captured by a group of men headed by Umaru Lebbe Panikkar in November 1925. Panikkar is a name given to the men who mastered capturing elephants in the eastern parts of the country. The young elephant Raja had been purchased by Tikiribanda Mampitiya Disawe of Giragama Walauwa in Kandy for 3300 rupees, a huge sum at that time, along with another young elephant named Skanda.[4] With a permit issued by the British government, both the elephants were brought by train to the Kadugannawa railway station and then to the Giragama Walauwa on 11 December 1925. Arambegama Kirihamy was appointed as the mahout of the young elephants. He attached the young elephants to the female elephant he was looking after, who became the foster mother of young elephants.
When the two elephants were around 24 years old, they were ceremonially gifted to the Sri Dalada Maligawa. A deed of transfer was drawn up and gifted to the Diyawadana Nilame by Mampitiya Dissawa on 22 August 1937.[5] The Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple of the Tooth, at that time was T. B.Ratwatte. Authorities of Sri Dalada Maligawa were happy about this new elephant who not only had all the physical requirements, but also showed much promise. Thereafter both Raja and Skanda were trained for the responsibilities of the temple elephants and were given the experience of participating in the procession, in the same year.
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Raja possessed the rare Maha Gaja Lakshana physical characteristics that put him in the aristocratic caste of Sri Lankan elephants, Chaddhantha.[1] After observing the great physical characteristics of the elephant and his obedient behavior, Raja was given the responsibility of carrying the sacred casket at the Esala Perahehra in 1950. Raja by then, had been fully trained and satisfied the authorities about its capabilities. He fulfilled his duties satisfactorily during the initial years, which cemented his place as the chief elephant of the procession for years to come. Raja never had any problems with his mahouts and was very obedient to them. He always respected Buddhist priests and also liked to be in the premises of the Sri Dalada Maligawa.
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Most of the times Raja carried the sacred casket at the annual perahera in Kandy flanked by Skanda and another tusker elephant. Sometimes Skanda too carried the casket, but Raja was the casket bearer of the important final Randoli perehera. Even after the demise of Skanda, the fellow tusker elephant in 1986, Raja continued his responsibilities as the chief tusker of the Esala procession in 1987. After serving Buddhist processions for about 50 years, Raja died in July 1988 due to an illness and his death prompted the government to order a day of national mourning in Sri Lanka. A postage stamp was issued in its memory on 12 December 1989, and also the 1,000 Rupee bill, with Raja and the Muslim trainer Umar Lebbe Panicker from Eravur in Batticola.[3]
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Raja’s stuffed remains are presently kept in a special museum within the grounds of the Temple of the Tooth.[6] The museum is a special attraction to the hundreds of people who visit the temple of the Tooth Relic daily.
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]
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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]
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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]
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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 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
Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja (Sinhala: නැදුන්ගමුව විජය රාජා, Tamil: நெதுன்கமுவ விஜய ராஜா), also known as simply Nadungamuwa Raja (c. 1953 – 7 March 2022), was an Indian elephant used as a ceremonial tusker in Sri Lanka.[1]
From 2005 to 2021, he was the main Casket bearer of the Kandy Esala Perahera, an annual procession held to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha, held in Kandy, Sri Lanka.[2][3] One of the most celebrated elephants in Asia during his lifetime, Nadungamuwa Raja was one of the largest tame elephants in Asia.[2]
Following Nadungamuwe Raja’s death, the then Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared Raja a national treasure, in recognition of his valuable services to the religion and culture of Sri Lanka.
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Raja was born c. 1953 in Mysore, India.[2][4] The village of Nadungamuwa has been home to temple elephants since 1917, when Livnis Perera, the grandfather of Raja’s final owner, Harsha Dharmavijaya, bought an elephant in order to take his younger brother in a procession to the Balummahara Godagedara Pirivena, Perera. That elephant was the first in the Nadungamuwa elephant lineage. The village of Nadungamuwa celebrated the centenary of the lineage in 2018 with Raja, who was considered to be the most important elephant in the country.[5]
In 1978, when Raja was 25 years old, he was acquired from his second owner, Herbert Wickramasinghe, a former parliamentarian from Bandaragama, for Rs. 75,000. His new owner was Dharmavijaya Veda Ralahamy, an eminent Ayurvedic physician.[1] After the death of Ralahamy, the elephant was looked after by his son, Harsha Dharmavijaya, also an Ayurvedic doctor.[3] Raja was attended by four mahouts over his lifetime: Seaman, Soma, Simon, and finally Wilson Kodithuwakku, known locally as “Kalu Mama”, who cared for Raja for more than 15 years.[1]
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Before participating in the Kandy Esala Perahera, Raja continually participated in many perahera festivals in Gampaha and Colombo and joined the procession of the Sabaragamuwa Maha Saman Devalaya in 1985. In 2005, at age 52,[1] Raja joined the Kandy Esala Perahera by request of Pradeep Nilanga Dela, who is the Diyawadana Nilame of Sri Dalada Maligawa.[citation needed] Raja went on to participate in the Kandy Esala Perahera for more than a decade.[2]
On all these occasions the elephant travelled to Kandy on foot, covering a distance of about 90 km from Weliweriya, Gampaha to Kandy. Due to a road accident in 2016, the government provided military protection to the elephant when it arrived in Kandy.[6][7] Raja always left the Nedungamuwa Palace after the monks’ and employers’ worship by sprinkling Pirith and tying Pirith strings.[3] The relics casket was carried 13 times by the tusker during the Dalada Perahera, the last time being in 2021.[8]
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Nadungamuwa Raja died on 7 March 2022, believed to be 68 or 69,[2][4] following a brief illness.[9] Raja was posthumously honoured as a national treasure and given full state honours. The President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa directed that Raja’s body be preserved as a stuffed body
The privilege of carrying the Tooth Relic is only given only to a carefully selected elite tusker. No matter how humongous the tusker is, he is carrying the Tooth Relic in a clam and obedient manner; which is respected by the observers of Dalada Perahera by standing from their seats.A musical ambience is brought to Dalada Perahera by Gajaga Wannama which is formed as a tribute to the tuskers. The tusker who accompanies Gajanayaka Nilame walks according to the rhythm of Gajaga Wannama.Enjoying the playful Interplay among elephants is an inherent element in Sinhala culture. Even the good omen of the Price Siddarth’s birth was dreamt by the Queen Mahamaya as the entrance of a white baby elephant into her womb. The souls of elephants and tuskers; and the merit of donating elephants are common in the Bosath stories of completing transcendental perfections (Paramitha). The relationship in between humans and elephants is evident on Buddhist religious and cultural backgrounds in Sri Lanka and could be observed extending from Moonstones, brass carvings to Daru carvings of Ammabakka Dewalaya. The good fortune of elephant is depicted from the frescoes in the temple to the King’s royal elephant.
Indiraja
A tusker born in India. Donated to the sacred Temple of Tooth by the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi In 1986. This particular Tusker had the utmost privilege of carrying the sacred Tooth Relic
Singha Raja
This tusker was separated from its herd of tuskers in an active war zone in the time of war and subsequently rescued by the Singha Regiment of Sri Lankan Army and donated to the sacred Temple of Tooth in 1994.This particular tusker currently has the utmost privilege of carrying the sacred Tooth Relic
Burumaraja
Donated to the sacred Temple of Tooth by the Prime Minister of Myanmar, Lieutenant General Thesing Yesingin 2007
Myanraja
Donated to the sacred Temple of Tooth by the Prime Minister of Myanmar, Lieutenant General Thesing Yesing in 2007
Janaraja
This tusker who resided in Dehiwala Zoo was donated to the sacred Temple of Tooth by his Excellency the President Mr. J. R Jayawardeneduring his ruling time in 1985
Migara
One of the youngest tuskers in the fleet of tuskers owned by the sacred Temple of Tooth. This tuskerwho resided in Udawalawa Elephant Transit Centrewas donated to the sacred Temple of Tooth by her Excellency the President Mrs.Chandrika BandaranaykeKumaratunga in 1999.
vijayaraja
Donated to the sacred Temple of Tooth by the King of Thailand in 1986.
Sindu
Donated by his Excellency the President Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa during his ruling time toMahanayake thero of Malwathu Maha Viharayain 2009
Raju
Donated by his Excellency the President Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa during his ruling time to the Mahanayake thero of Asigi Maha Viharaya in 2009
Pulathisiraja
Donated to the sacred Temple of Tooth by the Prime minister of Myanmar, Ms.Aung San Suu Kyi in 2017.
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