Elephant race marks beginning of fest in Guruvayur

Majestic tusker Ramankutty ran past his rivals to emerge as winner in the elephant race of the famous Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple, marking the beginning of the 10-day annual festival of the shrine.

Cheered and applauded by onlookers who thronged either side of the thoroughfare leading to the eastern portal of the temple, Ramankutty defeated his rival and runner-up Gopikannan in the competition.

The race covers roughly half-a-kilometre distance from the eastern end of the temple road to its main entrance.

In all, 13 selected jumbos, some of them female elephants, vied for the honours.

Temple lore has it that there was a time when the shrine did not have even a single elephant at its disposal but a tusker entered the festival on its own. The race commemorates that event.

One of country's major Hindu temples, Guruvayur has now 64 elephants at its disposal, stationed at the sprawling Punnathurkotta grounds on the outskirts of the temple town.

Most of these elephants have been gifted to the temple by devotees of Lord Guruvayoorappan.

The elephant that wins the race hoists the temple flag to mark the start of the festival.

Rituals like 'brahma kalasam' that precede the festival had been completed by this morning.