Punnathur Kotta
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Punnathurkotta പുന്നത്തൂര് കോട്ട |
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|---|---|
| Place of interest | |
Punathur Palace
|
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 Punnathurkotta
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| Coordinates: 10°36′51″N 76°1′47″E / 10.61417°N 76.02972°ECoordinates: 10°36′51″N 76°1′47″E / 10.61417°N 76.02972°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | Kerala |
| District | Thrissur |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Telephone code | 91487 |
| Vehicle registration | KL-08 |
| Nearest city | Guruvayur |
Punnathurkotta is a fort and former palace located in Kottapadi, about 2 km from the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple, in Thrissur District of Kerala State in South India.
Punnathurkotta was once the palace of a local ruler, but the palace grounds are now used to house the elephants belonging to the Guruvayoor temple, and has been renamed Anakkotta (meaning "Elephant Fort"). There were 86 elephants housed there, but currently there are about 59 elephants. The elephants are ritual offerings made by the devotees of Lord Guruvayurappa.
This facility is also used to train the elephants to serve Lord Krishna as well as to participate in many festivals that occur throughout the year. The oldest elephant is around 82 years of age and is called 'Ramachandran'. The rituals of Gajapooja (Worshipping Elephants) and Anayoottu (Feeding Elephants) are observed here, as an offering to Lord Ganesha. The legendary elephant "Guruvayur Keshavan" was housed here.
The compound also has a naalu kettu, a traditional rectangular home with a central courtyard, which belonged to the Punnathur Raja. It is poorly maintained and presently houses a training school for Papans (Mahout).
This complex also contains a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Bhagavathy. Some scenes in the famous Malayalam movie "Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha" (starring Mammooty) were filmed at this location. The visiting hours are 8.00 AM to 6.00 PM. The entry fee is Rs 10 per adult. An extra Rs 25 is charged for to use a camera inside the complex.
The Elephant Camp is located in Punnathur Kotta, at a distance of 3 km from the Guruvayur Temple. This Elephant Camp houses 58 elephants in 11.5 acres of land and is famous for housing the largest numbers of elephants in the smallest acreage of land. ( As per the regulations of the Central Zoo Authority of India, one elephant in captivity must have a minimum of 1.25 acres of land as holding area and this is in direct violation of the CZA norms, the Project Elephant Guidelines, and the conditions under which ownership has been granted under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972).
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