Elephant Valley
Menu- WELCOME TO THE ELEPHANT VALLEY!
- FROM ASIA OR AFRICA?
- FROM THE LIFE OF ELEPHANTS
- WATER OVER GOLD
- BIG EATERS
- ELEPHANTS ENDANGERED
- HARD LIFE WITH ELEPHANTS
- HARD LIFE WITH PEOPLE
- PARTNERSHIP OF PEOPLE AND ELEPHANTS
- ELEPHANTS IN CEREMONIES
- ELEPHANTS AT WORK
- ELEPHANTS FROM PINNAWALA
- GANESHA
- ELEPHANTS IN HINDUISM
- THE SOVEREIGN WHITE ELEPHANT
- THE DREAM OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT
ELEPHANTS IN HINDUISM
Elephants have an irreplaceable position in Hinduism and in the mythology which is bound to it. They appear as the mounts of gods, and are part of several tales and legends. Come and take a look at two of the best known of these!
Winged elephants
Hindus say that at the dawning of the earth, there were eight primary bull elephants led by the white Airavata. Their descendants had wings and were able to travel between heaven and earth, and lived a carefree life. But they became idle and started to make mischief.
One day several elephants sat on a tree, under which a monk was meditating, and started to argue loudly. One of them tore off a large branch and threw it at another elephant, but it fell on the monk’s dwelling. The monk became angry and condemned them and their descendants to live forever without wings and to serve humans.
Elephant guardians of the world
According to the Hindu faith, there are eight pairs of elephants around the edges of the world, sometimes accompanied by eight gods that the bull elephants bear on their backs. Each group guards an assigned area of space and helps protect it. When one of the elephants moves, it causes an earthquake.