Rejuvenation therapy begins for elephants

Pachyderms to get special diet, massage and bath

Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran feeding an elephant at the launch of rejuvenation therapy for pachyderms at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple on Monday.

It’s that time of the year when domesticated elephants will get a month-long rejuvenation therapy to regain their health, following a season of hectic activity.

In keeping with tradition, the annual ‘sukha chikitsa’ for Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple’s two pachyderms — 50-year-old Darshini and 11-year-old Sudarshana — began on Monday.

Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran formally launched the Ayurveda therapy, usually undertaken during the Malayalam month of

Karkidakom , on the temple premises.

Mr. Surendran stressed the need to keep the elephants healthy. He added that a compassionate approach was required while handling these animals. Elephants usually reciprocated in a manner they were treated, he said. V.S. Sivakumar, MLA, temple executive officer V. Ratheesan, and member of the royal family of erstwhile Travancore Adithya Varma were present.

Special diet

T. Rajeev, veterinary surgeon of the Travancore Devaswom Board, said the elephants would be given a special diet in addition to their normal food after an elaborate bath and massage.

The animals would be fed a medicated mixture prepared using rice, green gram, onion, horse gram, ragi, palm jaggery, chyavanaprasam , and ashtachoornam . Prior to administering the time-tested formula, the elephants would be provided medicines for de-worming.

Liver stimulants, vitamin and mineral supplements, and appetite stimulants would also be given.

The food regimen is fixed of the basis of factors such as weight, height, age, gender, and daily workload.

The elephants in musth are excluded from the therapy.