New Delhi: Kerala's annual tusker race which was held on Saturday in Guruvayur drew in huge crowds again.
The event which also marks the beginning of a 10-day festival dedicated to Lord Krishna saw 10 elephants run through the temple premises.
The 33-year-old winner elephant, Gopi Kannan, who raced past other tuskers to enter the sanctum sanctorum now has the privilege of carrying the idol for all the important rituals over the next 10 days.
In all 34 elephants lined up at the 'Manjulal' area about half-a-kilometre from the shrine, from which 10 were selected for the race.
People gathered on both sides of the eastern street of the temple to watch the race.
According to temple lore, there was a time when the Guruvayur temple did not have a single elephant of its own and it used to bring tuskers from other places for festivals.
Once, the temple authorities failed to get an elephant in time. To the surprise of everyone, a tusker came running from somewhere when the festival rituals were about to begin.
The elephant race, 'anayottam' in Malayalam, commemorates that event.
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