- Temple elephant
Temple elephants are a vital part of many
temple ceremonies and festivals inIndia , particularly inSouth India . Many major temples own elephants; others hire or are donated elephants during the festive seasons. It is estimated that India has an elephant population of about 18,000; of this, about 550 are domesticated elephants that live inKerala , the southern Indian state. The Indian elephant population has actually decreased from around 100,000 at the early part of the 20th century; widespread poaching of adult male elephants for ivory has wiped out entire herds, leading to trauma among the younger elephants.The largest elephant farm in India is located in
Guruvayoor in Kerala. This farm, attached to the main temple in Guruvayoor, has about four dozen domesticated elephants.Gallery on elephants
See also
* Animal worship
*Elephant
*Elephants in Kerala culture
*Guruvayoor
*Guruvayoor Temple
*Thrissur Pooram External links
* [http://www.atmajyoti.org/vi_temple_elephants_large.asp Temple Elephants Video] A short Quicktime video of Elephants from Tiruvannamalai, Sri Rangam and elsewhere.
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