On Monday, a procession of mourners — including schoolchildren, priests in saffron robes and an elderly woman with a Zimmer frame — paid tribute to Raja, praying and touching his powerful tusks with reverence.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared Raja a “national treasure” and ordered that his remains be preserved “for future generations to witness,” his office said.
Nadungamuwa Raja was the largest of the 100 elephants that participated in an annual show, surrounded by fire-eaters and drummers.
Decked out in lights, Raja carried the golden casket of Buddhist relics in the annual Esala Perahera pageant, a major tourist attraction in the central city of Kandy — almost every year from 2006 to 2021.
He even had an armed escort of elite commandos after an incident in 2015 when a motorcyclist almost hit him on an outing to attend a temple ceremony.
One of Raja’s predecessors, also known as Raja, carried the golden casket of 34 relics for exactly 34 years between 1953 and 1986.
When the former Raja passed away in 1988 at the age of 72, there was a huge wave of grief and the government declared a national day of mourning.
The old Raja has also been preserved and has his own museum within the walls of the Kandy Tooth Temple, which contains a supposed tooth of the Buddha.
The elephant chosen must belong to a particular caste with particular physical characteristics to qualify.
When the elephant stands, seven points — the four legs, trunk, penis and tail — must all touch the ground.
The animal must also have a flat back, the tusks must be in the shape of a traditional van, and its height must be about 3.7 meters (12 feet).
An exception was made for Raja, who was only 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) tall, as he was the tallest in the country at the time.
Raja was born in India and was given to Sri Lanka by an Indian prince.
Elephants are a protected species in Sri Lanka, but many are kept as pets because they are considered status symbols.
Laws have been tightened in recent years to prohibit the capture of wild elephants, which carries the death penalty.
Animal rights activists say captive elephants are often mistreated, a charge denied by temples and domestic elephant owners.
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