Gajarajan Kuttankulangara Ramdas of Kuttankulangara Devaswom, the ‘gentle giant elephant’ who left an indelible impression on the minds of thousands of festival lovers across the state by adding charm to numerous festival processions with his majestic presence, died here on Thursday.
The 55-year-old tusker was ailing for the last one year and his end came at an isolated place, near the Kuttankulangara temple on the wee hours of the day. The government veterinarians confirmed that the elephant died of age-related illness.
However, they maintained that the exact cause of death could be confirmed only after receiving the postmortem examination report. Having put up his best and lived up to his formidable reputation as the cynosure of all eyes during the festivals across the state, the elephant first secured the Gajaraja title at the Gajamela held in Thodupuzha in 2000.
The elephant also then secured the Gajaraja title in 2002 and Gajaraja Chakravarthi title of the Punkunnam Ayyappa Seva Sangom in 2009. The Devaswom brought the elephant to the temple 24 years back from the Parambikulam reserve forest. Since then, the elephant was a towering figure in the festival processions in the state.
Ramdas had also participated in numerous big and small temples festivals across the state.