Punnathurkotta is a fort and former palace located in Kottapadi

Kottapadi

Kottapadi is a gateway of Guruvayur town in the district of Thrissur, Kerala, South India. Kottapadi literally translates as Gates to Fort. The fort here refers to the Punnathur Kotta...

, about 2 km from the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple, in Thrissur District

Thrissur district

Thrissur is a revenue district of Kerala situated in the central part of that state. Spanning an area of about 3,032 km2, Thrissur district is home to over 10% of Kerala’s population. Thrissur district was formed on July 1, 1949, with the headquarters at Thrissur City. Thrissur is known as...

 of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

 State in South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

.

Description

Punnathurkotta was once the palace of a local ruler, but the palace grounds are now used to house the elephants belonging to the Guruvayoor temple, and has been renamed Anakkotta (meaning "Elephant Fort"). There were 86 elephants housed there, but currently there are about 66 elephants. The elephants are ritual offerings made by the devotees of Lord Guruvayurappa. This facility is also used to train the elephants to serve Lord Krishna as well as participate in many festivals that occur throughout the year. The oldest elephant is around 82 years of age and is called 'Ramachandran'. The rituals of Gajapooja (Worshipping Elephants) and Anayoottu (Feeding Elephants) are observed here, as an offering to Lord Ganesha

Ganesha

Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...

. The legendary elephant "Guruvayur Keshavan

Guruvayur Keshavan

Gajarajan Guruvayoor Kesavan is perhaps the most famous and celebrated Elephant of Kerala, South India. Kesavan was donated to the Guruvayoor Hindu temple by the royal family of Nilambur in 1916...

" was housed here. The compound also has a naalu kettu, a traditional rectangular home with a central courtyard, which belonged to the Punnathur Raja

Raja

Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...

. It is poorly maintained and presently houses a training school for Papans (Mahout

Mahout

A mahout is a person who drives an elephant. The word mahout comes from the Hindi words mahaut and mahavat. Usually, a mahout starts as a boy in the 'family business' when he is assigned an elephant early in its life and they would be attached to each other throughout the elephant's life.The most...

). This complex also contains a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Bhagavathy. Some scenes in the famous Malayalam movie "Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha

Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha

Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha is a 1989 Malayalam film directed by Hariharan, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, and starring Mammootty, Balan K. Nair, Suresh Gopi, Madhavi, Geetha, and Captain Raju.The film is based on a legend about the famous Chekavar warriors of present day northern Kerala...

" (starring Mammooty) were filmed at this location. The visiting hours are 9.30 AM to 5.30 PM. The entry fee is Rs 5 per adult. An extra Rs 25 is charged for to use a camera inside the complex.

Animal welfare

Animal welfare at this elephant sanctuary has come into question due to several videos being posted online of elephants displaying stereotypic behavior, being chained by the ankle and one obviously being beaten.

See also

• Elephants in Kerala culture
• Guruvayur Keshavan
  Guruvayur Keshavan
  Gajarajan Guruvayoor Kesavan is perhaps the most famous and celebrated Elephant of Kerala, South India. Kesavan was donated to the Guruvayoor Hindu temple by the royal family of Nilambur in 1916...
  
  
• Guruvayoorappan
  Guruvayoorappan
  Guruvayurappan Guruvayurappan Guruvayurappan (Malayalam: , (transliterated guruvāyūrappan), also often written Guruvayoorappan, is a form of Vishnu worshipped and held in reverence by Hindus, predominantly in South India. This is located in the town of Guruvayur, Kerala, India...
  
  
• Guruvayoor Temple
• Temple elephant

External links

• Kerala Tourism
• Guruvayur Devaswom
• Guruvayoor elephants
• Travel Feature
• Photo album