Guruvayur Keshavan

Common card · No. 451851

Gajarajan Guruvayur Keshavan (c.1912—2 December 1976) was a temple elephant in Kerala, India, and perhaps the most famous and celebrated of all temple elephants in Kerala. He was donated to the Guruvayur temple by the royal family of Nilambur on 4 January 1922. Standing over 3.28 meters tall, he was one of the tallest elephants that lived in Kerala and was known for his devout behavior. As Keshavan's name and fame increased, the Devaswom board gave him the unique title Gajarajan (King of elephants) in 1973. Keshavan died on 2 December 1976, which happened to be Guruvayur Ekadasi, considered a very auspicious day. The anniversary of his death is still mourned in Guruvayur. Many elephants line up before the statue and the chief elephant garlands it. After his death, Guruvayur Padmanabhan became the successor of Guruvayur Keshavan.

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