Punnathur Kota (Anakotta)

Punnathur Kotta AKA Anakotta

It is a fantastic place of visit. Every visitor especially the children would be thrilled to see so many elephants in one place. Well, this is not a zoo. Unlike the zoo, where a variety of wild animals are housed, here the only animal we get to see are the majestic elephants. Most of these elephants are trained or being trained. These elephants are all of the elephant are shackled, however they are not in separate enclosures. Yes, it’s a heart-rending scene for any animal lover who would love to see them roam around freely. 

You will get to see the caretaker/mahout feeding the elephants, giving them bath, elephants playing in water, mud. When moving around take care not to get too close to the elephants and not be too noisy near them.

Elephants in musth are however kept in a separate enclosure. 

Entry and still photography charges are nominal. Note, there are separate charges for still photography and videography. The sanctuary is open between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.

Photographers, keep your cameras ready, as you might not always find the majestic elephant looking your way or in a playful mood.

There are no stalls selling snacks/water inside the enclosure, however you can find then at the entrance of the palace or near parking. It's recommended to carry water bottles inside as per requirement as a lot of walking around is involved. 

History

Punnathur Kotta was once a palace of a local ruler. The heritage palace is about 400 years old. It is built in traditional kerala architecture (Nalu Kettu). There's also a small temple inside the palace walls and the presiding deities are Siva and Bagavathy. The Palace was taken over by Guruvayoor Devasom in 1975.

The current residents of the palace are the elephants belonging to the Guruvayoor temple. These elephants are ritual offerings by devotees to Lord Guruvayoorappan. It was later renamed as Anakkotta (means "Elephant Fort"). The palace and the palace grounds are now used as a training facility for Papan (Mahout) and elephants. The male elephants are trained to participate in various rituals and precessions of Lord Guruvayoorappan. It is also the largest sanctuary for captive elephants. 

The traditional architecture - a typically rectangular structure where four halls are joined together with a central courtyard open to the sky. 

The four halls on the sides are named Vadakkini (northern block), Padinjattini (western block), Kizhakkini(eastern block) and Thekkini (southern block). 

Entry to these halls are restricted to general public. It's probably used during the mahout training sessions. 

The artistic carvings on the door way. Some of them depicting warriors and some depicting dancers, and some animals – wild and tame. I believe each or a group of these carving tells a story. 
 

All elephants are housed around the palace, Facilities like medical centre, weigh bridge, water tanks also exists.

Pictures of some of the elephants in the sanctuary. All of them were chained and were eating leaves placed in front of them, most of them were eating them, some were playing with it, some were playing with mud. 

How to reach
It's located about 2 to 3 km from Guruvayoor temple, Trichur, Kerala.

Location