Airavata

Airavata (Sanskrit: ऐरावत "belonging to Iravati") is a white elephant who carries the deity Indra. It is also called 'abhra-Matanga', meaning "elephant of the clouds"; 'Naga-malla', meaning "the fighting elephant"; and 'Arkasodara', meaning "brother of the sun".[1] 'Abhramu' is the elephant wife of Airaavatha. Airaavatha has ten tusks and five trunks and is spotless white. Airaavatha is also the third son of Iravati. In the Mahabharata he is listed as a great serpent.[2]

"Erawan" redirects here. For Airavata Elephant Foundation in Cambodia, see Airavata Elephant Foundation. For other uses, see Erawan (disambiguation).
"Gajendra" redirects here. For the elephant rescued by the Vishnu, see Gajendra Moksha. For the films, see Gajendra (1984 film) and Gajendra (2004 film).

Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi riding the five-headed Divine Elephant Airaavatha, Folio from a Jain text, Panch Kalyanaka (Five Auspicious Events in the Life of Jina Rishabhanatha), c. 1670–1680, Painting in LACMA museum, originally from Amber, Rajasthan

Hindu tradition
Detail of the Phra Prang, the central tower of the Wat Arun ("Temple of Dawn") in Bangkok, Thailand, showing Indra on his three-headed elephant Erawan (Airaavatha).

According to the Ramayana, the elephant's mother was Iravati. According to the Matangalila, Airaavatha was born when Brahma sang sacred hymns over the halves of the egg shell from which Garuda hatched, followed by seven more male and eight female elephants. Prithu made Airaavatha king of all elephants. One of his names means "the one who knits or binds the clouds" since myth has it that these elephants are capable of producing clouds. The connection of elephants with water and rain is emphasized in the mythology of Indra, who rides the elephant Airaavatha when he defeats Vritra. This mighty elephant reaches down his trunk into the watery underworld, sucks up its water, and then sprays it into the clouds, which Indra then causes to rain forth cool water, thereby linking the waters of the sky with those of the underworld.

As per another legend, Airavatha is believed to have come out of churning the ocean of milk and it is believed that the elephant guards one of the points of compass.[3] Airaavatha also stands at the entrance to Svarga, Indra's palace. In addition, the eight guardian deities who preside over the points of the compass each sit on an elephant. Each of these deities has an elephant that takes part in the defense and protection of its respective quarter. Chief among them is Airaavatha of Indra. There is a reference to Airaavatha in the Bhagavad Gita:

Of horses, know Me to be the nectar-born Uchchaihshravas; of lordly elephants, Airaavatha and of men, the monarch.[4]

At Darasuram near Tanjore is a temple where it is believed that Airaavatha worshipped the Lingam; the Lingam is named after him as Airavateswara. This temple, which abounds in rare sculpture and architectural workmanship, was built by Rajaraja Chola II (1146–73).[5]

Jain tradition

In Jain tradition, when a Tirthankara is born, Indra descends with his consort, Shachi, riding their mount, the great elephant Airaavatha, to celebrate the event.[6]

Flags with Airaavatha
Laos
Siam (Thailand)

Erawan
Erawan statue in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Erawan (Thai: เอราวัณ, from Pāḷi Erāvana, or Sanskrit Airāvana) is one of the Thai names of Airaavatha. It is depicted as a huge elephant with either three or sometimes thirty-three heads which are often shown with more than two tusks. Some statues show Indra, the king of Tavatimsa Heaven, riding on Erawan. The elephant is sometimes associated with the old Lao Kingdom of Lan Xang and the defunct Kingdom of Laos, where it was more commonly known as the "three-headed elephant" and had been used on the royal flag.[7]

Airaavatha is a recruitable character in the Megami Tensei video game series.

Airaavatha is referenced in the song "The Animal Tent" on the album The Circus by The Venetia Fair:

Here comes Airaavatha; the elephant controls the rainclouds, His skin the rumbling earth (Airaavatha!)

Airaavatha is the name of the Volvo bus service that Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation provides.[8]

See also

Citations
  1. Dowson, John (1870). A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature. London: Trübner & Company. p. 180.
  2. Ganguli, Kishori Mohan. "SECTION XXXV". Mahabharata. Pratap Chandra Babu.
  3. Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 64.
  4. Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 10, Verse 27) Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Ali Javid; ʻAlī Jāvīd; Tabassum Javeed (2008). World Heritage Monuments and Related Edifices in India. Algora Publishing. p. 57.
  6. Goswamy 2014, p. 245.
  7. Reynolds, Frank E., ed. (1982). Three worlds According To King Ruang: A Thai Buddhist Cosmology. Berkeley. ISBN 0-89581-153-7.
  8. "KSRTC launches Volvo buses with pantry and toilet". The Hindu. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2014.

General references
  • Media related to Airavata at Wikimedia Commons
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