In 1944, a renowned Malayali poet, Vailoppilli Sridhara Menon, wrote a poem reflecting the inner musings of an elephant present at a temple’s festival. He named the poem “Sahyante Makan,” meaning “Son of Western Ghats,” a tribute in part to the great, gentle beasts that have always been an integral part of Kerala's culture to the extent that they were made the State Animal, with an icon of elephants emblazoned on all Government property. Between their state-approved stature and their importance for religious customs (any temple festival in Kerala is incomplete without a colourful pageant of festivals) it's no surprise then that in God's own country, both citizens and government bodies alike can go as far as to 'own' an elephant, for which they hire up to three mahouts, or elephant caretakers. And if that comes as a surprise to you, the veritable 'spa' that's been built for these pet elephants near the Guruvayur Temple is bound to keep you even more captivated.

Since devotees donating elephants to deities is such a common practice here, the temple had to create a space where they could house and look after all of them so they converted the Punnathur Kotta, a former palace, into a sanctuary and renamed it Anakotta, which roughly translates into “Elephant Fort.” Situated about three kilometres away from the temple grounds, Anakkotta is a 10 acre compound that currently houses 51 elephants. But that's not all they do.

Apparently, it's not just us humans that would rather lie around being pampered all day during the Monsoons. It's a common sight to see elephants relaxing and rejuvenating in water bodies while their mahouts massage them with the rubs of coconut fibre. At the Annakotta, they indulge in the activity with even more care and love. Attached to the sanctuary is the rejuvenation centre that provides elaborate spa treatments for these giants. During this month, the tusked beast are treated with not just bath and massage therapies but also highly nutritious food that is laced with Ayurvedic and allopathic restorative medicines. The therapy, especially the dietary plans, is supervised by veterinary experts to ensure that the treatment is of utmost benefit to the elephants.

Generally the ones who are on ‘musth’--a period of hormonal activities--are excluded from these treatments because they tend to become aggressive during this period. Early in the morning, every day, the elephants are taken to a nearby lake where their whole bellies and whole bodies, including the tough-to-reach spots are scrubbed using coconut husks.