Millangoda Raja: Difference between revisions

| term_end = 2008

| term_label. = Held title

| successor = [[Nadungamuwa Raja]]

| birth_namebirth_date = c. =1938

| othernamebirth_place = [[Ceylon]] (now [[Sri =Lanka]])

| speciesdeath_date = 30 July 2011 (aged = [[Sri Lankan Elephant]]73)

| breeddeath_place = [[Kegalle]], [[Sri = Lanka]]

'''Millangoda Raja''' (c. 1938- – 30 July 2011: {{lang-langx|si|මිල්ලන්ගොඩ රාජා}}), also known as '''Millangoda tusker''', was a [[Sri Lankan elephant]]. WithOver 119 feet tall and with 7.5 andfoot a(2.3 half footmeters) long tusks, he was considered to be among the longest tusked captive [[Asian elephant]] during his lifetime. ("The longest African elephant tusk measured around 3.5m, the longest woolly mammoth tusk measured around 4m and the longest Asiatic elephant tusk measured around 3m.")<ref>{{cite newsweb | title=Africa Geographic, Africa's big tuskers | url=https://www.bbcafricageographic.co.ukcom/newsstories/worldafricas-southbig-asiatuskers/|website=africageographic.com|accessdate=2024-1440434202-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title='LongestSuper tusked'Tusker elephantElephants: inSaving Asiathe dieslast inof SriAfrica’s great megafauna Lanka|author url=Charleshttps://tsavotrust.org/super-tusker-elephants-saving-the-last-of-africas-great-megafauna}}</ref><ref>{{cite Havilandnews |dateurl=https://www.amazon.co.uk/World-As-Once-Was-Gloriously/dp/2805205901 4 August 2011|publishertitle=BBC'The World As It Once NewsWas|accessdateauthor=22 AugustGeorge 2011Dian Balan}}</ref> The tusker was one of the main casket bearers of the procession of [[Kandy_Esala_Perahera | Esala]], an annual procession held to pay homage to the [[Relic_of_the_tooth_of_the_Buddha | Sacred Tooth Relic]] of [[Buddha]], held in Kandy, Sri Lanka.<ref name="elegy">{{Cite web |title=An elegy to Millangoda Raja |url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2011/08/09/fea28.asp |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=archives.dailynews.lk}}</ref>

Raja was captured at Nawagaththegamaa junglesjungle in Nawagaththegama, [[Anamaduwa]], [[Puttalam District]] in 1945 when he was asix calfor elephantseven aroundyears the age of 3-4 yearsold.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Millangoda Raja Tusker dies |url=http://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=14393 |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=www.adaderana.lk |language=en}}</ref> In Raja's herd, nineteen elephants were captured, 15 of them were sold in Anamaduwa Wev Pitiya. Thereafter, he was owned by M. R. A. Millangoda Appuhamy of Molagoda, [[Kegalle]].,<ref>{{cite news|url=httphttps://wwwarchives.sundayobserver.lk/2011/08/07/fea05.asp|title=Milangoda Raja – The majestic tusker that was|author=Dhaneshi Yatawara |date=7 August 2011|publisher=Sunday Observer|accessdateaccess-date=16 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813015557/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/08/07/fea05.asp|archive-date=13 August 2011|url-status=deadlive}}</ref> Appuhamywho broughtowned five six-foot tall, eight year old small elephants, out of which, one was left where the small elephant wasincluding Millangoda Raja.<ref name="elegy" />

The height of the Millangoda Raja isstood about 129 feet. TheHis tusks arewere 7 feet 6 inches long. It was about 9 feet [2 m] long, with the body part inside. According to the owner, he was gigantic and majestic in appearance and had reportedly never been aggressive except during must season[[musth]]. The tusker was known to have had a fondfondness offor eating jaggery and toffees.<ref name="Raja">{{Cite web |title=Milangoda Raja - The majestic tusker that was |url=httphttps://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2011/08/07/fea05.asp |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=archives.sundayobserver.lk}}</ref> Two mahouts have taken care of Raja.<ref name="story">{{Cite web |title=The story of the Millangoda elephant, the longest tusked elephant in Asia |url=https://roar.media/sinhala/main/features/millangoda-raja-the-tusker |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=roar.media |language=si}}</ref>

Millangoda Raja has participated in the [[Esala Perahera]] in Kandy for about 40 years. Raja first participated in the Perahera of the Maha Vishnu Devalaya in Kandy. Thereafter he has participated in the Esala Perahera as an elephant in the trunk of the elephant carrying the casket. Raja had the opportunity to carry the casket of the Tooth for about 10-12 years. After the death of the Raja elephant in Kandy, the Millangoda Raja got that opportunity. Raja last visited the Perahera procession in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=httphttps://wwwarchives.sundayobserver.lk/2011/08/14/jun02.asp|title=Elephant with the longest tusks in Asia dies|date=2011-08-14|publisher=Sunday Observer online|accessdateaccess-date=2011-09-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820064939/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/08/14/jun02.asp|archive-date=20 August 2011|url-status=deadlive}}</ref><ref name="story" />

When the elephant was in the last stage of his life, many bottles of saline with vitamins had to be given.<ref name="elegy" /> Before the death, prithpirith was chanted. After showing the Atapirikara to the elephant, it was gently touched and presented to the Buddhist monks. After the Pirith sermon and the tying of the Pirith strings, the elephant greeted the monks with great effort. The tusker died on 30 July 2011 at 12.25 pm and was about 73 years old at the time of his death.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/08/09/fea28.asp|title=An elegy to Millangoda Raja|date=2011-09-24|publisher=Dailynews online|accessdate=2011-08-21|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021105631/http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/08/09/fea28.asp|archivedate=21 October 2012}}</ref> He was given funeral rites by a team of Buddhist monks.

AfterHe hiswas deathgiven thefuneral rites by a bodyteam of MillangodaBuddhist monks. His Rajacorpse was [[Taxidermy|preserved]] and placed on public display in a museum, which was constructed by Ananda Millangoda at the Elephant Village in [[Molagoda]], [[Kegalle]]. For this purpose, with the guidance of Dr. Nanda Wickramasinghe, who was the Director of the National Museum, the assistance of museum dermatologists has been obtained. Millangoda Raja's dermatologist was Ravindra Wickramanayake, a dermatologist at the National Museum Department. The department's artists, L.A. R. Wijepala and L. P. Mahinda also helped for the taxidermy process.<ref name="story" />

[[Category:Individual1938 elephantsanimal births]]

[[Category:Individual animalselephants in Sri Lanka]]