Nadungamuwa Raja
| Nadungamuwa Raja | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Species | Asian Elephant |
| Sex | Male |
| Born |
c. 1954 Mysore State, India |
| Years active | 2005-present |
| Notable role | Main casket bearer of the procession of Esala |
| Owner | Harsha Dharmavijaya |
| Height | 11.5 Feet |
Nadungamuwa Raja (Sinhala:නැදුන්ගමුව රාජා) is an Indian tusker born c. 1954 in Mysore and he is the current main casket bearer of the procession of Esala held in Kandy Sri Lanka.Raja is one of the two elephant cubs gifted by a Mysore Maharaja to the veteran native physician monk resided in Nilammahara Temple Piliyandala in appreciation of curing his relative's long lasted illness,other elephant being late Nawam Raja of Gangaramaya.By the late 70s he was acquired from his second owner (a man from Horana) by Dharmavijaya Veda Ralahamy of Nadungamuwa area,an eminent Ayurvedic physician of that time (father of the present owner Mr Harsha Dharmavijaya) since then he is named after his residing village Nadungamuwa.
See also
References
- Miru (19 August 2012). "Nadungamuwa Raja,A Symbol of Majesty". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- Madurapperuma, Ajith (15 July 2012). "අටවැනි වරටත් දළදා කරඬුව වැඩම කරවන නැදුන්ගමුවේ රාජා". Lankadeepa (in Sinhala). Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- Wenasa. "Nadungamuwa Raja (Dev Pura Athun)" (in Sinhala). ITN. Retrieved 14 February 2014.