Raja Museum – tribute to an honored elephant in Asia

By Arundathie Abeysinghe

Raja the Maligawa tusker or Maligawa Raja (meaning Raja of Dalada Maligawa – Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy) was the sacred casket bearer of Kandy *Esala Perahera (procession) for over 50 years as well as the sacred casket bearer in the *Randoli Perahera for 37 years. Raja was the most honored and dignified elephant in Asia during his lifetime. Raja (1913 – 1988) was globally renowned for his dignified manners during the procession. Former President J.R. Jayewardene declared Raja as a national treasure in 1986 for his valuable services to the religion (Buddhism) and culture of Sri Lanka, two years before his death at the age of 75. 

Raja was respected by the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic during his lifetime as well as after his death. Taxidermy experts preserved the dead animal’s skin and tusks to be similar to the tusker when he was alive. The enormous taxidermied corpse of the majestic animal who adorned Esala Perahera for five decades is displayed in the Raja Museum, located in a small building adjoining the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.

When Raja died in 1988, Government of Sri Lanka declared a Day of Mourning to honor the Tusker for his valuable service. A postage stamp was issued on December 12, 1989 in his memory. A thousand rupee note with Raja in the background was also issued by the Government.

Raja Museum is visited by local and foreign tourists who visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. Apart from the taxidermied corpse of Raja, there are photographs of Raja’s life including those of his service to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. 

According to legends, Raja was born in the jungles in Eravur in Batticaola District approximately in 1913. He had been captured by a group of men headed by Umaru Lebbe Panikkar (Panikkar – a person who has mastered the skill of capturing wild elephants in the eastern parts of Sri Lanka) in November 1925. Tikiribanda Mampitiya *Disawe of Giragama *Walauwa in Kandy had purchased the young elephant (Raja) as well as another young elephant (Skanda, which also participated in Esala Perahera with Raja for many years) with a permit issued by the British Government. The two elephants had been brought by train to *Kadugannawa Railway Station and from there to Giragama Walauwa. The two young elephants had been fostered by an adult female elephant at Giragama Walauwa.  

When the two elephants were around 24 years old, Mampitiya Disawe (the owner of the elephants) had ceremonially gifted Raja and Skanda to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic on August 22, 1937 with a deed of transfer of ownership of the two animals. There had been a simple ceremony during the presentation of the two elephants to the Temple. *Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple, T.B Ratwatte and other lay authorities were impressed with the physical requirements of Raja (*Chaddanta caste) with a flat back suitable for carrying the Sacred Relic Casket, pair of magnificent tusks as well as his dignified manners. 

Thereafter, the two elephants had been trained as temple elephants and they had participated in the Esala Perahera the same year.

Raja had been internationally acclaimed for his noble behavior and had been admired by Maligawa authorities, Buddhist Priests, Buddhists, local as well as foreign tourists. 

• Basnayake Nilame – Lay custodian of *devales.

• Chaddanta caste – In ancient times, elephants had been classified not due to hereditary castes similar to humans but according to physical features. Raja had possessed Maha Gaja Lakshana (physical characteristics of the aristocratic caste of Sri Lankan elephants). 
• Devale – A Hindu Temple referred to as the “Residence of God”. 
• Disawe – The governor of a province. A disawe held executive as well as judicial powers during Sinhalese Kingdoms as well as during Colonial Eras.
• Diyawadana Nilame – Chief lay custodian of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and has the responsibility to oversee all aspects of the Temple.  Diyawadana Nilame has the traditional duty of organizing the Kandy Esala Perahera (the annual pageant). This position was formerly an office of the royal household.
• Esala Perahera – This annual pageant is one of the oldest as well as the grandest processions held in July or August and lasts for 10 days. The procession is a parade of musicians, dancers, singers, acrobats accompanied by a large number of caparisoned tuskers and elephants parading the streets of Kandy. Tuskers are adorned with decorated gold stitched colorful costumes. Drummers and dancers are dressed in ceremonial costumes. Basnayake Nilames* of four devales (in Kandy) and the Diyawadana Nilame are dressed in their ceremonial costumes during the procession. According to foreign tourists, this the grandest processions held in Asia.
• Kadugannawa – A small town in Kandy District of Central Province of Sri Lanka and was the main access to Kandy during the Kandyan Kingdom. Several battles had taken place in this location before the British Colonial Era.
• Kumbal Perahera – Kandy Esala Perahera is split in to two pageants, Kumbal Perahera and Randoli Perahera. Kumbal Perahera is held during the first five days of the Pageant.
• Perahera – A parade of musicians, dancers, acrobats and many performers accompanied by tuskers parading streets to celebrate a religious event
• Randoli Perahera – This perahera begins five nights after *Kumbal Perahera. Randoli refers to palanquins on which the queens of the ruling king traveled in the past. Maha Randoli Perahera is the last procession and the grandest event of Kandy Esala Perahera. 
• Waluwwa – Derived from the Tamil word valavu, the term refers to a feudal or colonial manor house in Sri Lanka with a compound or garden. This type of large houses belonged to aristocrats.