An 86-year-old female temple elephant in Kerala was today conferred the title of 'gaja muthassi' (elephant granny) by the Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages various shrines in the state.
Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran inaugurated the felicitation programme in which Forest Minister K Raju conferred the elephant with the title.
'Dakshayani', gifted to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) by the erstwhile Travancore royals, is presently housed in the Chengalloor Mahadeva Temple in the city.
TDB has also initiated steps for an entry of the majestic jumbo into the Guinness Book of World records as the oldest surviving Asian elephant in captivity.
