Chengalloor Ranganathan

Chengalloor Ranganathan

Species	Elephas maximus (Asian Elephant)
Sex	Male
Died	1917 Thrissur
Resting place	State Museum & Zoo, Thrissur
Nation from	India
Years active	1906-1914
Known for	Arattupuzha Pooram, other Poorams
Predecessor	Poomully Shekharan[1]
Owner	Parameshwaran Namboodiri of Chengalloor Mana
Height	3.45 m (11 ft 4 in)
Named after	Ranganatha

Chengalloor Ranganathan (died 1917) was a male Asian elephant in Kerala, India, which is believed to have been the tallest captive elephant in Asia.[2][3]

Life

Ranganathan was originally a temple elephant with the Ranganatha Swamy temple in Tiruchirappalli, Madras Presidency. The temple had acquired him when still a calf and used him for daily chores but as he grew taller, he was unable to enter through the inner gates of the temple. This and the fact that elephants are not a part of temple festivals in Tamil Nadu made him a liability for the temple which then decided to sell him. In 1905, he was acquired from the Sreerangam Devaswom by Parameshwaran Namboodiri of Chengalloor Mana in Thrissur for a price of Rs.1,500. It is believed that the elephant walked the distance from Tiruchirappalli to Thrissur over several months.[2][4] From 1906 to 1914, he carried the main idol during the Arattupuzha Pooram and was part of the Thiruvambady faction of the Thrissur Pooram. In 1914, during the Arattupuzha Pooram he was grievously gored by the tusker Akavoor Govindan. Following this incident, he was moved to Chengalloor Mana where he underwent prolonged treatment for his injuries, but died in 1917.[1][2]

Museum exhibit

On learning of the imminent death of Ranganathan, officials at the Madras Museum sought to acquire his skeleton for mounting it as an exhibit. Ranganathan's owners consented to this request and upon his death, he was buried in a large pit with chemicals to aid his quick decomposition. The skeleton was subsequently excavated with each bone being numbered for the purpose of its reconstruction. The skeleton was then obtained by the Thrissur Museum from Madras and was reassembled and installed in the main hall of the museum where it continues to be a major attraction.[4][5][6][7]

Physical attributes

Ranganatha's skeleton is 345 cm (136 in) in height which makes him nearly 30 cm (12 in) taller than Thechikottukavu Ramachandran, the tallest living captive elephant in India.[2] Ranganathan was widely admired by elephant lovers in Kerala.[7][8]

In popular culture

The Malayalam poet Vallathol Narayana Menon wrote a verse in honour of Ranganathan.[4][9] As of 2022 a 12 ft 5 in (378 cm) statue of Ranganathan is under construction at the elephant management, treatment-cum-conservation centre at Ganesh Fort in Chittanda, Thrissur, which on completion would be the largest statue of an elephant in India.[1] Ranganathan: Search for the Height — An Art Documentary is a 2022 documentary film on the elephant by Sooraj Nambiat and Sony Narayanan.[2]

References

1. "1917-ൽ ചരിഞ്ഞു, കേരളത്തിലെ മിക്ക ഉത്സവങ്ങളുടെയും ആവേശം; ആനത്തറവാട്ടിൽ രംഗനാഥനും എത്തുന്നു". Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
2. Saju, M. T (19 August 2022). "New Malayalam documentary on 'the tallest elephant to have lived in Asia'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
3. "12.5 അടി, ഉയരം പരിക്കുകളേല്‍പ്പിച്ച രംഗനാഥന്‍, 105 വര്‍ഷം മുന്‍പ് തൃശൂരില്‍ ചെരിഞ്ഞ ഏഷ്യയിലെ വലിപ്പമേറിയ ആന, അസ്ഥികള്‍ ഇന്നും ഭദ്രം". ETV Bharat News. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
4. "Imposing skeleton structure of tallest elephant greets visitors at Thrissur museum". ETV Bharat News. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
5. "Multi-purpose Museum". Department of Museums and Zoos. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
6. Pradeep, K. (3 April 2016). "Jumbo Love of V. M. Balachandran who spent his life observing elephants". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
7. Nair, Sushila (19 August 2020). "How elephants form an integral part of the cultural ethos in God's own country". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
8. "ഗുരുവായൂര്‍ കേശവന്റെ പ്രതിമ ഇനി ഗണേഷ് ഫോര്‍ട്ടിലും; മറ്റ് കരിവീരന്മാരുടെ പ്രതിമകളും ഇവിടെ തലയുയര്‍ത്തും". Janmabhumi. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
9. Antony, Biju (29 March 2009). "Mathrubhumi - ആനച്ചന്തം | മ്യൂസിയത്തില്‍ ഇന്നും 'ജീവിക്കുന്ന' രംഗനാഥന്‍". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 23 August 2022.