The Kalyani elephant who got into the newly-opened bathtub which was constructed at a cost of Rs. 60 lakh by the Perur Patteeswarar temple in Coimbatore, enjoyed a bath with eagerness and enthusiasm.
Coimbatore: The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister, Sekar Babu inaugurated the newly-constructed elephant bathtub of the Patteeswarar temple in Coimbatore on Tuesday.
At the renowned 2,000-year-old famous Patteeswarar temple in Perur, the elephant, Kalyani, which was brought there in 1996 is being taken care of by Bagan Ravi. This elephant is a huge draw for everyone from children to adults who visit the temple. Some people visit the temple just to see the elephant.
Kalyani, who is now 32 years old, had been allotted Rs.60 lakh by the Endowments Department for its bathing and walking needs. Following this, the Perur temple authorities scouted various places to erect a bathtub. Finally, about 5.5 acres of land was selected at the rear side of the Angalamman temple next to the temple.
The work of setting up a large-scale bathtub for the bathing of the Kalyani elephant in the area has been underway in full swing.
Following this, the elephant bathtub was set up at a capacity of 1,20,000 litres to a height of 4 feet. The elephant bathtub is 10 meters wide, 10 meters long and 1.8 meters high.
The elephant corridor is 300 meters long, 5 meters wide, and the ramp of the elephant's path is 12.40 meters long and 420 meters wide.
It is also equipped with a mono-black motor that drains water from the bathtub and a shower for elephant bathing. A shade umbrella will also be set up for the elephant. Similarly, a walkway is being constructed with sand and well-soil for the elephant to walk in the same area. The Kalyani elephant can thus bathe in the bathtub for three hours and walk up to a distance of 10 kilometres every day.
The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister, Sekhar Babu inaugurated the elephant bathtub on Tuesday.
After that, the elephant got down into the bathtub, played in the water and enjoyed the bath enthusiastically.
People in the area enjoyed the sight of the elephant bathing with glee.