Budungee dantha dathuwata pita dun e maha hasthi rajayan eka pitupasa eka
apagen wen anne wenee nosithana wegyen.dukata karaunanam ada dinayedith nilagiri hasthuiya melovin samu ganimai. idiriyeedi daladawata pita dimata raja hasthiyek sitiwida lakderanee me athithya sihi kireemak.dayen samugath hasthi rajayan
raja.
Our memory draws back to the past at once when we speak of the group of tuskers in Sri Dalada Maligawa. We remember the Raja Tusker at once because it is one of the unique tuskers lived in the group of tuskers in Sri Dalada Maligawa and all over the world as well. The root causes for this uniqueness were the amazing behaviors and specific inherent qualities it had. The baby Raja tusker was found in a jungle at Eravul area in Batticaloa district by a Muslim person called Umeru Lebbe who went for catching elephants at that time. With this baby tusker he found another tusker of the same age from Mannar.
Mr. Tikiri Bandara Mampitiya Disawa who got to know about these baby tuskers bought them for Rs. 3000/- on 11.12.1925. Raja tusker was 4 feet and 5 inches height at that time. The Government Agent of the area at that period Mr. Vishvalingam had given Umeru Lebbe a permit on 30th November 1925 to transport these tuskers from Eravul to Kandy through Anuradhapura.
Later these two tuskers were brought from Anuradahapura to Kadugannawa by train and then to the Giragama manor house.
On 31st July 1931 these two tuskers, Raja and Kanda were donated by the Tikiri Bandara Mampitiya Diswa to Sri Dalada Maligawa as the first landmark of such donation in Sri Lanka when Mr. P.B. Rathwaththe performed duties as the Diyawadana Nilame of Sri Dalada Maligawa.
From that point for a long period these two tuskers, Raja and Kanda carried the sacred tooth relic at the Esala pageant and especially when Kanda died this duty was entrusted to Raja Tusker. Henceforth it was apparent through the several specific behaviors of the tusker that it possessed special and unique qualities than the other tusker lived in the group of tuskers in Sri Dalada Maligawa to carry the sacred tooth relic. There were several instances that proved its’ ability and patience with regard to this duty.
Raja Tusker had worshiped the Sacred Tooth Relic in the same manner we do. That fact was told by many lived at that time. Similarly this tusker possessed a special skill to wait keeping the head straight till the cloth carpet was being stretched and walk accurately on the cloth carpet. Once the rope tied the Dalada Karanduwa on the Raja Tusker was loosen when it carried the Sacred Tooth Relic. So, Raja refused to walk in the pageant till this rope was tied firmly. This was one of the famous and special stories told about the behaviors of this unique tusker.
Further, Raja showed its great patience and faith towards the Sacred Tooth Relic by safeguarding and protecting that by being silent and quiet at the instance where the elephants walked in the Esala pageant in year 1959 were stampeded. When compared with other elephants and tuskers Raja had many noble features and behaviors.
In year 1984 Raja Tusker was named as a national heritage by the late President Mr. J,R. Jayawardena. This was the second time such a tusker or elephant was made a national heritage in the world. The first instance was reported in Africa.
Raja Tusker was suddenly fallen ill in the month of March in year 1988 and passed away on 16th July, 1988 while it was being given medical treatments.
Thereafter, as it was a national heritage with unique importance to the history of Sri Dalada Maligawa a statute of the Raja Tusker was erected by using its’ skin to cover the statute to make people feel it real. Actually, when we see this statute we feel like that we are in front of the living Raja Tusker. Anybody can see this statute of the Raja Tusker at the museum located in the premises of Sri Dalada Maligawa.
apagen wen anne wenee nosithana wegyen.dukata karaunanam ada dinayedith nilagiri hasthuiya melovin samu ganimai. idiriyeedi daladawata pita dimata raja hasthiyek sitiwida lakderanee me athithya sihi kireemak.dayen samugath hasthi rajayan
raja.
Our memory draws back to the past at once when we speak of the group of tuskers in Sri Dalada Maligawa. We remember the Raja Tusker at once because it is one of the unique tuskers lived in the group of tuskers in Sri Dalada Maligawa and all over the world as well. The root causes for this uniqueness were the amazing behaviors and specific inherent qualities it had. The baby Raja tusker was found in a jungle at Eravul area in Batticaloa district by a Muslim person called Umeru Lebbe who went for catching elephants at that time. With this baby tusker he found another tusker of the same age from Mannar.
Mr. Tikiri Bandara Mampitiya Disawa who got to know about these baby tuskers bought them for Rs. 3000/- on 11.12.1925. Raja tusker was 4 feet and 5 inches height at that time. The Government Agent of the area at that period Mr. Vishvalingam had given Umeru Lebbe a permit on 30th November 1925 to transport these tuskers from Eravul to Kandy through Anuradhapura.
Later these two tuskers were brought from Anuradahapura to Kadugannawa by train and then to the Giragama manor house.
On 31st July 1931 these two tuskers, Raja and Kanda were donated by the Tikiri Bandara Mampitiya Diswa to Sri Dalada Maligawa as the first landmark of such donation in Sri Lanka when Mr. P.B. Rathwaththe performed duties as the Diyawadana Nilame of Sri Dalada Maligawa.
From that point for a long period these two tuskers, Raja and Kanda carried the sacred tooth relic at the Esala pageant and especially when Kanda died this duty was entrusted to Raja Tusker. Henceforth it was apparent through the several specific behaviors of the tusker that it possessed special and unique qualities than the other tusker lived in the group of tuskers in Sri Dalada Maligawa to carry the sacred tooth relic. There were several instances that proved its’ ability and patience with regard to this duty.
Raja Tusker had worshiped the Sacred Tooth Relic in the same manner we do. That fact was told by many lived at that time. Similarly this tusker possessed a special skill to wait keeping the head straight till the cloth carpet was being stretched and walk accurately on the cloth carpet. Once the rope tied the Dalada Karanduwa on the Raja Tusker was loosen when it carried the Sacred Tooth Relic. So, Raja refused to walk in the pageant till this rope was tied firmly. This was one of the famous and special stories told about the behaviors of this unique tusker.
Further, Raja showed its great patience and faith towards the Sacred Tooth Relic by safeguarding and protecting that by being silent and quiet at the instance where the elephants walked in the Esala pageant in year 1959 were stampeded. When compared with other elephants and tuskers Raja had many noble features and behaviors.
In year 1984 Raja Tusker was named as a national heritage by the late President Mr. J,R. Jayawardena. This was the second time such a tusker or elephant was made a national heritage in the world. The first instance was reported in Africa.
Raja Tusker was suddenly fallen ill in the month of March in year 1988 and passed away on 16th July, 1988 while it was being given medical treatments.
Thereafter, as it was a national heritage with unique importance to the history of Sri Dalada Maligawa a statute of the Raja Tusker was erected by using its’ skin to cover the statute to make people feel it real. Actually, when we see this statute we feel like that we are in front of the living Raja Tusker. Anybody can see this statute of the Raja Tusker at the museum located in the premises of Sri Dalada Maligawa.
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