Pix by Kushan Pathiraja

• Raja died at 5.30 am yesterday following a brief illness
• The tusker was a celebrated pachyderm and was the tallest tamed elephant in the country

By Chaturanga Samarawickrama, Tilakaratne Dissanayake and Tony Karunanayake

 Nedungamuwa Vijaya Raja, popularly known as Nedungamuwa Raja, who earned the reputation for carrying the casket of sacred relics in the Kandy Perahera for 13 consecutive years passed away last morning at the age of 69. 

The caretaker of the elephant Harsha Dharmawijeya said Raja died at 5.30 am yesterday following a brief illness.”The majestic animal did not have any record of previous illnesses, but he did not consume any food on Monday,” he said.

The elephant’s death was brought to the notice of the Wildlife Department, since the elephant was a property of the government, Dharmawijeya said.

 The burial date will be announced after inspection by wildlife officials, the caretaker said. The tusker was a celebrated pachyderm 10.5 feet (3.2 metres) in height and was the tallest tamed elephant  in the country. It had its own armed guards. Raja walked 90 km (55 miles) to the hill resort of Kandy for the Esala Perahera.

Nedungamuwa Raja is an Indian tusker born in 1953 in Mysore. He was the main casket bearer of the procession of Esala held in Kandy until recently and was one of the two elephant calves gifted by a Mysori Maharaja to the veteran native physician monk who was living in Nilammahara Temple Piliyandala in appreciation of curing his relative’s long lasting illness,the other elephant being Nawam Raja of Gangaramaya that too not among the living. 
 Meanwhile, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Prof. Kapila Gunawardena to declare the deceased tusker as a national treasure.

 The President has also directed the officials to preserve the carcass of the Nedungamuwa  Raja for the benefit of future generations.

• The burial date will be announced after inspection by wildlife officials