Tusker Maniyan
The 25,000-sq-ft pookalam laid out across Irulam Govt High School ground was made with nearly 10 tonnes of flowers brought from Gundlupet Tusker Maniyan The 25,000-sq-ft pookalam laid out across Irulam Govt High School ground was made with nearly 10 tonnes of flowers brought from Gundlupet Tusker Maniyan Kozhikode : Seven years after the death of Maniyan, the beloved wild elephant that shared an extraordinary bond with people of Irulam on Wayanad’s forest fringes, residents paid an Onam tribute to the gentle giant with a 25,000-sq-ft pookalam (floral carpet) featuring the legendary King Maveli and him. Spread across the entire 60-cent school ground of Irulam Govt High School, the floral carpet used nearly 10 tonnes of flowers brought from Gundlupet in neighbouring Karnataka. DTPC secretary Praveen P P said the pookalam was completed in 36 hours, with around 500 people joining the effort.
We wanted to remember him once again during the Onam celebrations,” said Jithesh P S, treasurer of the Onam celebration committee. The theme, “Maveli, Maniyan and Thiruvonam”, brought the two icons together on a single floral canvas, he said. “Four truckloads of flowers were brought from Gundlupet and the design was created locally,” Jithesh said.
It was created by the Irulam Lions Club along with local clubs and cultural organisations, Wayanad District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) and the Edakkal destination management committee. “Maniyan, Irulam’s icon, continues to live in people’s hearts. When he died, there was a mourning procession, which could perhaps have been the world’s first for a wild elephant. For the villagers, the pookalam was more than an Onam spectacle; it is a tribute to an elephant that became part of their collective memory at a time when human-animal encounters are increasingly marked by conflict. The organisers battled heavy rain and had only a five-hour rain-free window to complete the work. The ground was first levelled with M-sand, followed by coconut husk. Small channels were also created beneath the border to drain rainwater. Only natural materials — vadamalli (globe amaranth), yellow and orange chrysanthemums, marigolds, roses, green leaves and coffee husks — were used for the pookalam.
The 37-year-old tusker rarely raided crops and often remained close to human settlements. He died after being gored by another wild tusker in the Pullumala forests near the Kurichiyad forest range office in 2019. Around 500 people had gathered from Irulam, Sulthan Bathery, Pulpally and surrounding areas for a final glimpse of him despite heavy rain.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in Kochi Stay updated with the latest Kochi news. Maniyan had acquired an almost legendary status among people living on the fringes of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. He even responded to calls from local people, who would hand-feed him bananas, jaggery and other food. His distinctive, overgrown tusks made him instantly recognisable. Now, in the heart of Irulam, Maniyan has found a new life in flowers — in what villagers describe as their grandest Onam celebration ever. Download the TOI App.