Author: Stephen Alter
Publishers: Penguin Books
Pages: 327
Unlike what it’s title seems to indicate, Elephas Maximus is no science book for the students of biology, but a book for every one who has slightest interest in Indian Elephants, or Asian Elephants to precise. Stephen Alter has done considerable research on every aspects of the elephants in India and has presented it well enough to attract readers of every kind. In his own words –
In this book, I have tried to tell elephant’s story in India through myth, art and literature, as well as something of its biology and natural history.
He travels all through the country in search of the elephants and visits them in the wilderness of National Parks, in temples in captivity, in breeding centers of state forest departments and anywhere else elephants might exist as myth or reality. He writes about their biology and natural history, besides covering cultural aspects of their relationship with man, historical status and position of elephants in India and also man-animal conflict. Alter also ponders on Ganesha, the elephant faced Hindu god. He digs through the ancient scriptures of Gajasutra and Kalidasa’s Meghadoota to discover the role and status of elephants in the history of our society.
The emotional aspect of relationship between man and pachyderm is given considerable importance and is one of the highlights of the book. He writes about Mahouts who love their elephants and remain sensitive to the needs of the giant, about conservation efforts in India, and caring for the elephants. The pains of capturing elephants by Khedda and other measures in the past have been well elaborated.
Also notable are his coverage of elephants at various locations all over India, including Mysore, Guruvayur temple, Sonepur Mela, Mudumalai elephant camp, Corbett and Rajaji National Parks, Kabini and Kaziranga.
The contents of the book are well organized, has a good flow and makes a good reading for those with even the slightest interest on pachyderms.
Bandipur -> Wayanad -> Kozhikode -> Guruvayur -> Cochin -> Periyar
+Previous: Journey from Cochin to Thekkady
+Go to the beginning of the series
Let’s work on the names first. There are three names you can use and mean the same. ‘Periyar Tiger Reserve’ is the entire protected forest area, covered under project tiger. ‘Thekkady’ is the place inside the park where tourists arrive to enjoy boat rides, go on treks or register for any tourist package offered by the reserve administration or Kerala Tourism. Kumily is the town head, a tourist town just outside the park. The names are often used interchangeably.
Kumily is a town high in the hills and has the lovable, cool hill station weather. Go to any corner of the town and look around, and you will not miss seeing a couple of hotels in all directions. Whether you are looking for a Rs.100 per night lodge, or a Rs.10,000 per night plush resort, you will find it in Kumily. It is a tourist town cashing in on the popularity of South India’s most popular wildlife reserve.
We arrived at Kumily in the morning and checked into the beautiful Coffee Inn, close to the reserve gates. It was around 11am by the time we settled down and headed to the sanctuary. A couple of birds – a very pretty White Bellied Treepie, a pair of Black Drongos and a big bunch of jungle babblers kept us amused just after the park entrance. As we drove forward, we got glimpses of the lake shore now and then through the trees. Periyar lake was a sight I wanted to see. The huge artificial lake appeared all around us once we reached Thekkady. It is a large freshwater body tucked between the hills, with dead trees popping up here and there in the middle of it. A few boats stood on the jetty waiting to carry tourists on a boat safari. We had some time left before the next boat-trip schedule, and we used it to wander around the park office.
Thekkady is a small place with tourist facilities like a canteen, a forest department office and a couple of hotels run by Kerala Tourism. A sign indicating rules of behaviour for the tourist mentioned boldly that alcohol is prohibited inside the park. And soon followed another sign from one of the Kerala Tourism Hotels in the park, welcoming you to their ‘beer parlour’! Tourists can avail an hour long boat ride facility at a nominal cost, where a large noisy boat that can take a hundred people will ferry you around the lake. There are other ways to go around the park, like chartered motor boat trip, man powered floats, or trekking, all of which are expensive.
We took the evening boat trip on the lake. Within a minute of start, we had moved far from the jetty and sailing into the lake in the middle of hills. Water in the lake is clean and clear and it feels good to be floating on it. It is probably the greenery around that gives the lake its green color. It was a cloudy day and it looked like it is going to rain anytime. In the first half hour, we saw a few big birds like the black necked stork and egrest, a tortoise and a bunch of wild buffaloes. It started pouring heavily on our way back and visibility was considerably reduced. The rain added to the beauty of the lake and the experience of the evergreen tropical forest. I loved every moment we spent in the water and wish it lasted longer. I hoped to come back here some time and spend many days floating in the lake surface and enjoy the views of the hills, the forest and see all the fauna that the forest conceals.
We returned to Thekkady next morning, and this time we walked the 3km stretch to Thekkady from the park entrance instead of driving. We encountered a few Samabar deers and Chitals on the way as we walked. After idling in Thekkady enjoying the beauty of the lake for a while, it was time for us to get back and move on. We started out of Kumily at around 12pm. It was our last day in Kerala and we were now driving back to Bangalore. We passed via the towns of Theni and Salem and reached Bangalore around 11 in the night, ending a six day long eventful journey.
The End.
Bandipur -> Wayanad -> Kozhikode -> Guruvayur -> Cochin -> Periyar
+Previous: Kapped Beach
+Next: Cherai Beach
+Go to the beginning of the series
We continued driving south towards Kochi(or Cochin) the next morning. When we reached Guruvayur on the way, we decided to stop for a look at the large brigade of tuskers that the Guruvayur temple owned.
The temple is just a few minutes off from the National Highway. Once we entered the town, there were signs pointing to the temple at some turns, and some places we had to ask for directions. The temple parking lot also doubled up as garbage pile. We parked in slush, mud and garbage and paid Rs.20 for that precious parking area. As soon as we entered the temple complex, we realized that we may not find elephants anywhere here. The temple is small, has plenty of shops in the lane in front of it and has no space to host the giant pachyderms.
We stood in front of the temple entrance and inquired. A friendly and helpful traffic police officer who was manning the temple answered to us in a slow and precise manner.
“The elephants are in Anekotta. You go straight on this road.. you will get the highway.. After the highway you go two more kilometers.. you will find Anekotta. Elephants will be there.”
While my friends were making sure they got the directions right, I looked through the temple doors. It is a typical temple in Kerala, with a post in the front hosting an array of wick lamps, behind which is the door to the sanctum. The pillars of the temple are made of wood, and if I recall correctly, the walls have large windows made with plenty of wood. Wood used in the old temples of Kerala have remained intact for centuries, and I have often wondered how.
As we were speaking to the officer, a man wearing trousers and shirts and a lady in salwar-kameez were getting into the temple. A temple-worker alerted the officer, and the officer casually turned back and addressed them slowly:
“Pants.. don’t go. Salwar… don’t go. Only sari and lungi”
Having said that, he continued helping us with directions. Once we were sure where to go, we made no attempt to get into the temple and headed back to the car. The place with the elephants – Anekotta or Punnathur Kotta as it is called, was a 15 minute drive.
I have a fondness for elephants. Often when asked “What is your favourite animal?”, I have always named the elephants. They are giant beasts, but they seem to be soft, friendly and approachable. Baby elephants are especially affable and adorable. I have enjoyed a few nice moments with them, like meeting young Jogi in Rajaji National Park or a small family of tuskers in the wilderness of Bandipur. I have tested their patience in Corbett and found them very forgiving and accommodative. To me, they always seem to be calm and easygoing though they are known to turn dangerous at times. These giants are also known to be caring and protective for the members of their group in the wild.
Recommended Reading
The book Elephas Maximus by Stephen Alter is a great book to know more about elephants. It gives a common man’s perspective to elephants than a scientist’s outlook. He goes through India’s wildlife sanctuaries, reads through books that talk about the history of association of man and elephants in India, talks about conflicts in the nature, history and myths surrounding the elephants and many more interesting topics.
The book, spanning 303 pages in published by Penguin India
They have 30 or so elephants owned by the temple administration in Guruvayur. The elephants are decorated and taken on a procession during the festivals celebrated at the temple. Each one of them is a majestic male with long tusks, a variety becoming rare in our wilderness. When we entered into the premise, we were saddened by the state of these temple elephants. They are kept isolated and chained to trees such that they can’t move even slightly. There are two chains for each elephant – both tightly bound, with one chained to a front leg and another to rear, and their movement is completely restricted. It was difficult to understand why they had to be constrained so harshly. We could see and realize the disapproval and unhappiness of them when they tried hard move front or back without success, or when they shook their body very hard as if trying to move out – a behaviour I have never seen elsewhere. They seem to be well fed and cared for their health, but no one seemed to bother that they are also living being who would want to be free and do as they wish. They should have roamed the jungles of India free and lived a life of a dominant male in the group, but here they were, not able to move an inch away from where they were standing. I am not sure how the tradition of capturing elephants for the temple has evolved, but I can surely say that no lord would want his servants to suffer this way. Stephen Alter writes in his book Elephas Maximus on the Guruvayur’s elephants:
“…the Anna Kotta at Guruvayur is a depressing place. Instead of being able to swim in a river or wander into the forest to feed, the temple elephants are confined to their enclosure and each of them is chained except when being bathed. Resting against many of the tuskers’ necks were long spears that are used to control the elephants if they cause trouble. The concentration of male elephants also adds to the feeling of incarceration…
We did not stay for long in Guruvayur and continued on our way to Cochin. Somewhere on the way just before we were about to reach Kochi, we saw a deviation to Cherai beach and turned that way.
About Guruvayur
Guruvayur is located on the National Highway 17 in the stretch between Kochi and Kozhikode, approximately 100km from each of these towns. It is 30km away from Thrissur. Guruvayur has a railway station, and the nearest airport is in Kochi.
Guruvayur temple’s deity is Krishna in the name of Guruvayurappan. The main attraction for a tourist are the festivities in the temple which involves parading the temple elephants. See the temple website for more details. Non Hindus are not allowed to enter the temple.
Guruvayur is a decent sized town and finding some basic to mid-range hotel accommodation in the town should not be difficult on a normal day.
To be continued..