Elephant’s den at Punnathur kotta

Thrissur is known as the cultural capital of Kerala. Cultural events are a way of life for people of Thrissur. Some of the interesting events include Thrissur pooram, temple festivals, etc. Thrissur also has the first mosque in India (cheraman mosque built around 600AD).

Last week I visited an interesting place called aanakkotta or aanathavalam(elephant’s den). This is where elephants belonging to all Guruvayoor temples are kept. Sounds simple? Well only catch is that it contains over 60 elephants!

Punnathur Kotta is located near Guruvayoor in Thrissur district of Kerala. The Elephant pound currently has about 60 elephants and is located over 10 acres of land. It is a popular local tourist destination. All the elephants came here as offerings by devotees of Lord Guruvayurappan. Gaja pooja (Worshipping of Elephants) and Anayoottu (Feeding of Elephants) are observed here.

We started from Thrissur which is about 25KM from punnathur kotta and it took about 1 hour to reach there. The aanathavalam (Elephant pound) is managed by Guruvayoor Devaswom (an organization which maintains temples). There is a parking fee of Rs.5 outside the entrance and an entry fee of Rs. 5. You cannot take the vehicle inside the pound. For still camera there is an additional fee of Rs.25 and for video camera fee is a whopping Rs.1000!

The moment you enter the pound, you are awestruck. Wherever you look you can see elephants and more elephants. The diversity is truly an experience. You can go around the place and catch some interesting elephant moments

Some tourists come here to get elephant tail strands. It is banned here, but many bribe and get it. We also had seen a group asking for the sand on which elephant was sleeping! Also there is no guide service at the pound (Guys may offer you services for money, but it is illegal)

Check out the photos I have taken at the pound.