Indi Raja named as Lead Tusker of the Sri Dalada Maligawa

Indi Raja - the gift of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has now been named as the “Lead” Tusker of the Sri Dalada Maligawa by the Diyawadna Nilame Nilanga Pradeep Dela

Indi Raja the strapper of a Majestic Tusker bridged the gap of peace between Sri Lanka and India at a crucial time and now the untold story of this Tusker is related to the Daily Mirror.  
This Tusker is a gift from Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to Sri Lanka and then by a Deed of Gift to the Sri Dalada Maligawa. Indi Raja, came into the country at troubled times in the country between Sri Lanka and India, as a messenger of Peace, and it was on February 2, in 1988 that the Tusker was brought down from the ship to the soil of Lanka.  

Diyawadana Nilame Dela told this writer that though there are three more Tuskers who are capable of carrying the Golden Karanduwa, Indi Raja would be the Lead Tusker.  
It took two weeks to select the Tusker at Mudumalai Forest Reserve where this Tusker lived. The former Diyawadana Nilame Neeranjan Wijeyarathne and Professor Vijitha Kuruwita of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Peradeniya was in the Forest Reserve for two weeks trying to locate a Tusker fitting to the standards of the Sri Dalada Maligawa.  
Few know the story behind this majestic, seven-foot-high tusker, Indi Raja, which carried the Golden Karanduwa on some days, the only pageant in the world where humans and animals in such large numbers mingle without the least harm to any of them.  

It all came about in 1987, when the famous Maligawa elephant, Raja -”the National Treasure” named by President J. R. Jayawardene, was ailing. The then Diyawadana Nilame, Niranjan Wijerathne, consulted the respected veterinarian of the University of Peradeniya, Professor Vijitha Kuruwita, who was the vet for the Sri Dalada Maligawa during that period and the first Veterinarian to handle the “Cap Chur” gun donated to the University by Late Dr. Nihal Karunaratne who himself had been gifted it by the inventor - New Zelander Dr. Colin Murdoch  
Former Diyawadana Nilame decided, notwithstanding the political climate in the country, to approach the Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi for assistance as the Maligawa needed a replacement. He contacted the Late Venerable Mapalagama Vipulasara Thera, who was the President of the Mahabodhi Society in India, to arrange a meeting with the Indian leader. The Venerable Thera was able to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Gandhi.  

Accompanying the Diyawadana Nilame was a formidable delegation comprising the Mahanayake of Asgiri, the Venerable Palipanne Chandananda, Anunayake of Malwatte, the Ven. Panditha Pahamune Gunanda Thera, a member of the Malwatta Karaka Sangha Sabha the venerable Palipanne Sirinivasa Thera, and Professor Kuruwita. The appointment was arranged and the Lankan delegation met Prime Minister Gandhi in New Delhi . Late George Ranatunge (the elder brother of the former Commander of the Army Cyril Ranatunge ) the President of the All Ceylon Buddhist Association at that time also met the delegation in India.  

A long discussion ensued, during which , the outspoken Ven. Palipanne Chandananda expressed the view that the challenges facing India and Sri Lanka could be bridged if the Indian leader could offer a tusker to the Sri Dalada Maligawa in order to show the people that India is their friend. During the discussion Rajiv Ghandhi presented a book on elephants to Niranjan Wijerathne.  

The Prime Minister immediately told the delegation he would arrange for them to select a tusker from the Mudumalai Elephant Training Centre, which lies between the states of Karnataka and Ootacamund in the valley of Mysore.  
The then Diyawadana Nilme and Profesor Vijtha Kuruwita stayed for two weeks at the Mudumalai Elephant Training Centre to select the Tusker as the requirements of the Sri Dalada Maigawa. They then saw Indi Raja which fitted the requirements as a Tusker to carry the Golden Karanduwa.  

A word about this centre is that domesticated elephants are sent out to the forest reserve and they mate with the wild elephants. It is not only elephants but other animals are also in this forest reserve administered by the centre and at that time Dr.V. Krishnamoorthy was the Veterinarian at this centre.  
 They found that Indi Raja was seven foot in height with a flat back and was suitable to strap the Ransivige with leather belts. Veterinarian Dr Krisnamoorthy aided Professor Kuruvita in the selection.  

The then-controversial Indian High Commissioner, J. N. Dixit deputized in handing over the elephant to Neeranjan Wijeyrathne, who said when contacted that Indi Raja was strapped with the Ransivige three months after his arrival, trained first for the Poson procession and then for the Kartika Mangalya and finally for the Kandy Esala Perahera.  
At the request of Neeranjan Wieyarathne, a name had to be found for this Tusker and therefore High Commissioner Dixit telephoned Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for Neeranjan to speak to him and he inquired as to the name that should be given to this Tusker and suggested his mother’s name Indira Gandhi. The Prime Minister immediately responded and said that the gift is from India to the Sri Dalada Maligawa was and to Sri Lanka, so it could be Indi Raja. That is how the name of Indi Raja came into being.  

According to the former Diyawadana Nilame, the then trainer Seneviratne, had found that Indi Raja hates the goad and has been trained only with a stick.  
The staff of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, recalls that when Veterinarian Krishnamoorthy while attending a symposium in Sri Lanka had come to the Maha Maluwa to see Indi Raja. The tusker had recognised Dr Krishnamoorthy by his voice in other words Indi Raja knows Hindi. So Sri Dalada Maligawa after 24 years has officially a Tusker named to carry the Golden Karanduwa during the Annual ritual without depending on any other Tusker in the country.