Majestic feast in Kerala feeds more than 60 elephants: Pictures

A 'jumbo' feast that dished out 12,008 coconuts, 2,000 kg of jaggery, 2,000 kg of flattened rice aka aval, 250 kg of malar aka popped rice, 50 kg of sesame seeds, 60 litres of honey, sugarcane and special lemons was rolled out on Thursday (July 17) in Kerala's Thrissur. The grand ritual wasn't for humans, but for elephants. Yes, 63 jumbos, including nine females, took part in the Ashtadravya Maha Ganapathi Homam, Gajapooja (elephant worship), and Aanayoottu (elephant feeding) ceremonies. The gajapooja ritual is held every four years. The other ceremonies are generally held on the first Thursday of the Malayalam month of Karkidakam. Elephant lovers from across Kerala gathered at the Vadakkunnathan Temple of Thrissur to witness the occasion. 

The homam, led by Temple Thantri Puliyannoor Sankaranarayanan Namboothiri, began at 5 am. The gajapooja started at 7 am with five elephants at a time. A special ramp was set up to assist devotees as they entered the temple. Inside the temple, barricades were erected near the southern gopuram entrance where the elephants were lined up.

The aanayoottu (elephant feeding) began at 10:10 am, with temple Melshanti Sree Raj Narayanan Namboothiri offering the first ceremonial ball of food to a female elephant named Savitri, marking the start of the event. Prominent personalities, including singer Vijay Yesudas, actress Divya Pillai and actor-turned-Union Minister Suresh Gopi, attended the event. The Cochin Devaswom Board will begin special wellness treatments for the elephants starting tomorrow.