Raja (elephant)

Common card · No. 456895

Raja (Sinhala: රාජා ඇතා - Raja Atha) (also known as Maligawa Raja, c. 1913 - 16 July 1988) was a Sri Lankan tusker elephant belonging to the Sri Dalada Maligawa temple in Kandy. Raja participated at the annual Esala procession in Kandy for around 50 years and was the sacred casket bearer of the final Randoli perehera for 37 years. He was one of the most celebrated elephants in Asia during his lifetime, and was world famous for his noble behavior. On 20 August 1986 former Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene declared Raja as a national treasure, in recognition of his valuable services to the religion and culture of Sri Lanka.

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