Nadungamuwa Raja | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Main casket bearer of the procession of Esala | |
| Held title 2005–2022 | |
| Preceded by | Millangoda Raja |
| Succeeded by | Indi Raja |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1953 Mysore, India |
| Died | 7 March 2022 (aged 68–69) Weliweriya, Gampaha District, Sri Lanka |
| Height | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) |
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Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja (Sinhala: නැදුන්ගමුව විජය රාජා, Tamil: நெதுன்கமுவ விஜய ராஜா), also known as simply Nadungamuwa Raja (c. 1953 – 7 March 2022), was an Indian elephant brought to Sri Lanka.[1]
For more than a decade, he was the main casket bearer of the procession of Esala, an annual procession held to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha, held in Kandy, Sri Lanka.[2][3] One of the most celebrated elephants in Asia during his lifetime, Nadungamuwa Raja was one of the largest tame elephants in Asia.[2]
Following Raja's death, the then Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared Raja a national treasure, in recognition of his valuable services to the religion and culture of Sri Lanka.
- ^ "සධාතුක කරඬුව වඩම්මන නැදුන්ගමුවේ රාජා" [The relics casket bearer Nedungamuwe Raja]. Dinamina (in Sinhala). Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ a b Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (8 March 2022). "Sri Lanka to hold state funeral for beloved sacred elephant Raja". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "දළදා සමිඳුන්ට උත්තම පූජාවක් සිදුකරන රාජා සැබෑ ලෙසම පාරමිතාවක් පුරනු නොඅනුමානයි.. මේක පාරමිතාවක්. මීට ඉහත ආත්මවල නැඳුන්ගමුවේ රාජා, රජ කෙනෙකු වෙලත් ඉන්න ඇති" [Raja who performs a great pooja to the Tooth Relic will undoubtedly sign a real parameter .. This is a parameter. Nendungamuwe Raja of the above spirits may have been a king] (in Sinhala). Retrieved 7 March 2022.