An elegy to Millangoda Raja

Tharindu Muthukumarana Royal Institute

The world famous Millangoda Raja has passed away, leaving us the sweet memories that we had of the great tusker. Millangoda Raja was known as a tusker, had the longest tusks in the whole of Asia.

The beauty of the tusker was such that it was featured in the covers of several books about elephants. The death of Millangoda Raja was a natural death. The teeth of the elephant had worn out and it could only swallow little amounts of food at a time. This sort of old aged death comes to wild elephants, where they may live for few days and eventually die.

Before Millangoda Raja's death, prith was chanted, but on Wednesday August 3, 2011 Millangoda raja died at 12.25 pm.

The elephant was 70 when he died. The history of Millangoda Raja begins in 1945, when his owner Appuhamy and few others went to Nawagaththegama jungle, in Anamaduwa, Puttalam. At the age of 22, Appuhamy's (now 88 years old) first elephant was captured in 1943, at Hambantota. Then he practiced the capturing of elephants in Angunukolapelesa, Hungama, Palle Malla, Bolana, Bundala and Koggala. Millangoda Raja was a baby elephant in the herd in Anamaduwa at the time.

In Raja's herd nineteen elephants were captured, 15 of them were sold in Anamaduwa Wev Pitiya.

The best elephant was Rs 3,000 at that time; the others were sold for Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500. Appuhamy brought five six-foot tall, eight year old small elephants, out of which, one was left. The small elephant was Millangoda Raja, which grew up to a great tall tusker, 12 feet tall with 11 and half foot long tusk, which was considered Asia's longest tusk.

The name Millangoda was given after the Mansion, in which the tusker was kept, which was known as Millangoda Walauwa, situated at Molagoda in Kegalle.

Throughout Millangoda Raja's life he participated in most Peraharas and in Deavale Peraharas.

Millangoda Raja also had carried the Tooth Relic in Sri Daladha Maligawa, an opportunity enjoyed by only a few elephants in Sri Lanka. Year 2008 was the last time Millangoda Raja was able to carry the Relic. Then almost half a year before his death Millangoda Raja came under special veterinary treatment due to his old age. When the elephant was in the last stage of his life, many bottles of saline with vitamins had to be given. At the end no veterinary treatment worked. The elephant passed away in Millangoda Mansion.

For his funeral, several people in the village rushed into the Millangoda Mansion to get a last glimpse of the great tusker, which had a reputation throughout the entire world. Even parliamentary ministers visited Millangoda Raja in his last moments.

News about Millangoda Raja's death was telecast in several countries, through news channels such as the BCC. Although it was an animal, it received great respect from people in high places around the world. It was an animal so much related to Buddism. Even the Buddha had said that of all footprints, that of the elephant is supreme.