Nadungamuwa Raja dies

Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja, popularly known as Nadungamuwa Raja passed away this morning, the caretaker of the elephant Harsha Dharmawijeya said.

He said the elephant died at 5.30 am today following a brief illness.

"The majestic animal did not have previous illness, but it did not take any food during yesterday and breathed for the last time," he said.

The elephant's death was informed to 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.

Nadungamuwa Raja was 65 years old when died, was a celebrated pachyderm with a towering 10.5 feet (3.2 metres) in height and was the tallest tamed tusker in the country which had its own armed guards. Raja walks 90 km (55 miles) to the hill resort of Kandy for the event, called the Esala pageant.

He walks 25 to 30 km a day, travelling mostly at night when the weather is cooler.

Nadungamuwa Raja is an Indian tusker born in 1953 in Mysore, 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 Mysuru Maharaja to the veteran native physician monk who was living in Nilammahara Temple Piliyandala in appreciation of curing his relative's long lasted illness, other elephant being Nawam Raja of Gangaramaya that too not among the living. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)