Captive elephants fed kozhukattai on Vinayaka Chaturthi at rescue centre
The Hindu
Celebration at Elephant Rescue Centre: 10 captive elephants given bath, made to stand side-by-side for Vinayaka Chaturthi. Deeparadhana performed, kozhukattai, sweet pongal, sugarcane & fruits fed. Mahouts & kavadis provide personalised care. Elephants enjoyed the delicacies & were in joyful mood.
It was celebration time at the Elephant Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at M.R. Palayam near Tiruchi on Monday.
Pujas were performed at the centre housing 10 captive elephants that are being taken care of by a team of Forest officials. The occasion was Vinayaka Chaturthi and the Forest Department made arrangements to celebrate the event inside the nearly 50-acre centre established and maintained by it.
All elephants were given a bath and made to stand side-by-side at a particular spot for the celebration in the evening. A temporary employee engaged at the camp performed deeparadhana. Ten banana leaves containing kozhukattai and various fruits were spread on a mat in front of the pachyderms.
The rituals lasted about 30 minutes after which the jumbos were fed with kozhukattai, sweet pongal, sugarcane and fruits. The elephants enjoyed the delicacies and were in a joyful mood, said a Forest official. They were thereafter taken back to their shelter.
Every captive elephant at the centre, adjoining Tiruchi-Chennai national highway, is being taken care of by a mahout and kavadi. The pachyderms have been translocated to the centre from different places in the State and are being provided personalised care by the department officials.
he Tamil Nadu Government will take appropriate decision to protect the welfare and livelihood of Manjolai tea estate workers as Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation, which is managing the tea gardens for the past 90-odd years, is about to wind up its operations in near future, Speaker M. Appavu has said.