Woman In Kerala Became The First Manager Of Elephant Camp In 47 Years

CR Lejumol is a devoted follower of Lord Sree Krishna of Guruvayur and is not frightened by the elephants in the temple. She grew up loving to feed elephants because she was born into a family of mahouts. It is a blessing from the Lord, according to Lejumol, who on Wednesday assumed control of the Punnathur Kotta at the Guruvayur shrine. In the 47-year history of the elephant camp, she is the organization's first female manager.

44 elephants that were donated by devotees over the course of several years are housed at Punnathur Kotta. The care of the elephants will go to Lejumol. The Guruvayur Devaswom acquired the Punnathur Kotta, a fort held by a local lord, in 1975 to house the temple elephants. The camp is a ten-acre expanse of lush greenery.

Temple administrator K P Vinayan said that she will be responsible for managing the 150 employees, including the mahouts, and ensuring the safety of the elephants. After years of duty as the devaswom's mahouts, Lejumol's father Ravindran Nair and father-in-law Sankara Narayanan had retired. Prasad, her spouse, was a mahout as well.

Before taking over the Kotta, Lejumol, who had joined the Guruvayur Devaswom in 1996 as a lower division clerk, served as an assistant manager in the works division. It is a wonderful honour to have such official responsibility for Lord Guruvayurappan's elephants.

Lejumol added that there are 150 workers, including mahouts, and 44 elephants here. The devaswom has awarded a contract for the provision of grass, banana stems, and palm leaves for the elephants. Veterinarians decide how much food each elephant will receive. The elephants will receive an ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy the following month.