Temple elephant
January 30, 2008
It is very charming how many temples in Tamil Nadu have their own elephant who plays a vital role in the celebrations and rituals at the temple. I recall during my first trip to India that we went to a temple for a big yagya and at one point at the beginning of the event, everyone got up and started to walk outside. I asked where everyone was going and the answer was “Outside for Ganesha puja.” So I followed along and there he was…a real elephant waiting for us to do puja. It was quite an experience.
I recall the care and attention that was paid to the elephants. They always seem to be rather happy and fully engaged in their “job”. I always look forward to seeing them.