Theppakadu camp elephants take part in Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations

Tourists in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve came alive after seeing the elephants with bended knee ringing bells and offering worshiping lord Ganesha on Vinayaka Chathurthi celebrations.

To make the elephants ready for this remarkable feature of the festivities, they were bathed in water, decorated with sandalwood and kumkum. Later, in the Vinayagar temple in the camp, Krishna, an elephant, circled the temple three times ringing the bell.

Then they worship Lord Ganesha by lifting trunk and kneeling in the temple premises. Later, the temple priest, Oskar, performed Pomman Pooja, and chanted hymns and worshiped lord Ganesha.

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve Inner Zone Deputy Director Vidhya and forest officials also participated in this function. The tourists enjoyed watching the elephants performing puja while ringing the bells and offering special food to the elephants.

Shweta, a tourist who came along with her children, said that her kids enjoyed seeing elephants doing Namaskaras.

"I am here with my kids tothe Theppakadu elephant camp to show them the importance of Ganesh Chaturthi pooja. I am really happy that kids are understanding the importance of that. They have been enjoying this becuase they saw the elephants ringing bells, doing Namaskaras and all. And they have understood that elephant is the face of lord Ganesha," she said.

During the day, as many as 19 elephants of the Mudumalai camp were given special food including jaggery, ragi, pongal, sugarcane and many other nutrients. (ANI)