Elephants having food in a green setting at Punnathurkotta park, also known as 'Anakotta' (Elephant Fort). It has 64 elephants taken care by nearly 200 employees. The elephants are a major attraction for the devotees, who visit the Sree Krishna Temple, under the Guruvayur Devaswom in Thrissur district.
The park is managed by Guruvayur Devaswom in Thrissur district, a one of its kind in the world.
Mahouts bathe an elephant. The Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee has implemented scientific elephant management practices and even started a mahout training school.
The park is located to the north of the Guruvayur temple, in Punnathurkottai, an ancient palace of the Punnathur Rajas. It was bought by the Devaswom in 1975.
An elephant relaxes at the park. Temple authorities have trained around 40 elephants to serve at the Guruvayur temple and also take part in temple festivities and processions throughout the year.
A mahout watches every move made by his ward. The park is home to around 60 elephants, all donated by devotees of Lord Krishna, the main deity at the Guruvayur temple.
An elephant relaxes at Punnathurkotta. The locals believe each gentle giant to be a devotee of Lord Krishna; making this park more than just the elephants' residence.
Mahouts take a break from their daily grind. The park contains a traditional Kerala-style house, known as the naalu-kettu, where the Rajas originally resided. It is today used as a resting space for the mahouts.
A view of a corridor of the traditionally constructed naalu-kettai. The park epitomises greenery and provides its elephants with enough shade for the summers.
Curious people, many of them children, form a steady stream of visitors at Punnathurkotta.