Tribute to Nandungamuwa Raja | Sunday Observer

Tribute to Nandungamuwa Raja

13 March, 2022

“Elephants are magnificent creatures.” - Paul Craig Roberts.

Elephants and tuskers are revered in Sri Lanka and have been a symbolic figure since ancient times. They are an inseparable part of Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage. Elephants are gentle giants and considered to be noble beasts. They are known for their intelligence, sharp memory, and strength. In our culture, they have always been associated with royalty and religion.

We see a lot of elephant carvings and sculptures in Sinhala art and architecture. Also, a large number of folk poems and stories are created around elephants. This is testimony to the close connection between these wonderful creatures and our ancient culture. Elephants and tuskers are a part of Buddhist culture and even in Jathaka stories. They relate stories of the Bodhisattva being born as a noble elephant or tusker in many births. The Bodhisattva is also symbolised by a white baby elephant entering the womb of Queen Maya. Therefore, the elephant is introduced as a majestic animal and closely related to the Buddhist culture.

Battles

In ancient times, both elephants and tuskers were used in battles. Sri Lanka has exported elephants and have done so in the recent past too. The war elephants depicted on the coins of King Alexander the Great, porcelain, and Roman coins are identified as Asian elephants. According to archaeological evidence, these Asian elephants became known as the Great War Elephants because they could be trained and tamed.

Tuskers were used to carry caskets in ancient times. The first recorded royal elephant in the history of Sri Lanka is that of King Devanampiyatissa in 3rd century BC. The sacred relics of the Buddha were first placed on this royal elephant, and taken in a procession. There are three elephants that will forever be remembered with love and pride in Sri Lankan history.

They are Kandula, the Panamure Elephant, and Raja. Kandula is the Great War Elephant of Sri Lanka and the Royal Elephant of King Dutugemunu. Panamure Tusker fought fearlessly for freedom, but he died in a brutal and tragic way. The well-known Raja tusker of the Temple of the Tooth Relic carried the relics casket for almost five decades.

Since ancient times, the royal tuskers of the monarch were named to carry the relics casket in the Dalada Perahara. In ancient times, all tuskers on the island were named as property of the Sinhalese monarch, and killing a tusker or elephant was considered a crime drawing the death penalty. Aristocrats and politicians used to raise these tuskers and elephants as symbols of power and wealth. Gifting these animals to the Temple of the Tooth Relic is an age-old tradition followed by the aristocracy and political leaders of this country. Many baby elephants from India, Myanmar, and Thailand have been gifted to the Temple of the Tooth Relic as a symbol of respect, friendship, and gratitude.

Casket bearers

Only a handful of tamed elephants in the country are selected to carry the relics. They are selected on their physical appearance, personality and intelligence. Therefore, these elephants are believed to be blessed and noble creatures. Some believe that casket-bearing tuskers are in their last births as beasts.

Nandungamuwa Raja, also known as Vijaya Raja of Nadungamuwa, was an Indian tusker. It was the casket bearer of the Esala procession in Kandy for more than a decade. Nandungamuwa Raja, a famous tusker in Asia during his lifetime, was the tallest tame tusker in Asia. Raja also had the good fortune of carrying the largest number of relics caskets in the final procession of the Esala Perahera. Except on four occasions during that period, this elephant bore this responsibility for 13 years.

Established in 1917, the Nedungamuwe elephant class completed its 100th year in 2018 with Nedungamuwe Raja. The first tusker in the Nedungamuwa elephant class was received in 1917 during the time of Livnis Perera, the grandfather of Harsha Dharma Vijaya, the present member of the Nedungamuwa medical family. His younger brother decided to go to Balummahara Godagedara Pirivena. Livnis Perera bought an elephant because the child had to be taken in a procession. This elephant is the first in the Nedungamuwa lineage. We also honour Livnis Perera, Arnolis Perera, Dharma Vijaya Vederalahamy, and Harsha Dharmavijaya Vederalahamy for nourishing this elephant class.

Birth

Raja was born in 1953 in Mysore, India. It was one of the two baby elephants donated by the Maharaja of Mysore to a veteran indigenous physician who resided at the Nilammahara Temple in Piliyandala in appreciation of curing his relative’s long-term illness. The other elephant is the late Nawam Raja of Gangarama. In 1978, at the age of 25, Raja was obtained by his second owner, Herbert Wickramasinghe, a former Member of Parliament for Bandaragama. His new owner was Dharmavijaya Ayurvedic doctor of Nadungamuwa village. After his death, the elephant was taken care of by his son, Harsha Dharmavijaya, an Ayurvedic doctor. Since then, the elephant has been named after his residing village Nadungamuwa. Raja was looked after by four caregivers: Seaman, Soma, Simon, and finally Kalu Mama.

For more than 15 years, Wilson Kodituwakku, better known as Kalu Uncle, cared for Raja. Indika Jayasinghe of Polgahawela worked as Kalu Mama’s helper. Prior to participating in the popular Kandy Esala perahera, Raja had the chance to participate in a number of festivals in Colombo and Gamapaha and joined the Sabaragamuwa Maha Saman Devalaya perahera in 1985. However, Raja started joining the Kandy Esala perahera in 2005 at the request of Pradeep Nilanga Dela, who is Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple of the Tooth Relic. Raja has been participating in the Kandy Esala Perahera for more than a decade since then.

The elephant was 52 years when it first went in the Kandy perahera. In each case, the elephant traveled 90 km from Weliweriya in Gampaha to Kandy on foot. However, due to an accident in 2016, when the elephant arrived in Kandy, the government provided military protection. Raja always left the Nedungamuwa Palace after the bhikkhus and employers’ worship by chanting Pirith and tying Pirith strings. The last time the tusker carried the casket was in 2021.

Death

Nandungamuwe Raja was 69 years at the time of his death on the morning of March 7, 2022. After his death, the elephant was named a national treasure and the government ordered to accord it with full state honours. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed to preserve the body.

Nandungamuwe Raja is truly a vision of beauty and grace. It has majestic looks and intelligence. He is one of the most loved tuskers in Sri Lanka. People were saddened by the death of Nadungamuwa Raja as seen on mainstream and social media. 

Comments