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The elephant is the state animal of Kerala and is featured on the emblem of the Government of Kerala, and previously on the coat of arms of Travancore. The elephant is also on the flag of the Kingdom of Laos with three elephants visible, supporting an umbrella (another symbol of royal power) until it became a republic in 1975. Other Southeast ...
Gajasura, an elephant demon from Hindu mythology; Gajendra, from the Sanskrit text Gajendra Moksha; Girimekhala, the elephant that carries Mara in Theravada Buddhism; Kasogonagá, a Toba deity described as either an elephant or an anteater. Supratika, a name for several elephants in Hindu mythology; Behemoth, a demon depicted as a round-bellied ...
It is believed that the elephant guards one of the points of compass. [5] Airavata also stands at the entrance to Svarga, Indra's palace. In addition, the eight guardian deities who preside over the points of the compass each sit on an elephant (world elephant). Each of these deities has an elephant that takes part in the defense and protection ...
Ganesha is mentioned in Hindu texts between the 1st century BCE and 2nd century CE, and a few Ganesha images from the 4th and 5th centuries CE have been documented by scholars. [13] Hindu texts identify him as the son of Parvati and Shiva of the Shaivism tradition, but he is a pan-Hindu god found in its various traditions.
Gajendra Moksha, a Hindu legend where Vishnu saves an elephant from a crocodile. Gaja (Sanskrit: गज, lit. 'Elephant') is a Sanskrit word for elephant. It is one of the significant animals finding references in Hindu scriptures, as well as Buddhist and Jain texts. [1]
Ganesha is easily recognized from his elephant head. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists and beyond India. India and Hinduism have influenced many countries in other parts South Asia , East Asia and Southeast Asia as a result of commercial and cultural contacts.
Likewise, in Hinduism, they are linked with thunderstorms as Airavata, the father of all elephants, represents both lightning and rainbows. [183] One of the most important Hindu deities, the elephant-headed Ganesha, is ranked equal with the supreme gods Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma in some traditions. [188]
To this day (2024), important temples, especially in South India, keep their own temple elephants, which are acquired either by purchase or as gifts. [14] However, it is possible that elephants declared as a ‘gift’ to a temple at the end of the 20th or in the 21st century were actually acquired underhand on the illegal black market, but officially given as a ‘gift’ - this has been a ...