Species | Elephas maximus (Asian Elephant) |
---|---|
Sex | Male |
Born | 1957–1961 Bihar, India |
Died | 28 January 2021 (aged 60-63) Ottapalam, India |
Nation from | India |
Years active | 1990-2019 |
Known for | Thrissur Pooram, other poorams, Thalappokkam |
Owner | Mangalamkunnu Tharavadu |
Height | 2.98 m (9 ft 9 in) |
Named after | Karnan |
Mangalamkunnu Karnan (born 1957–1961 – died 28 January 2021) was an elephant owned by the family which owns the largest number of captive elephants in Kerala, only behind Guruvayur devaswom. [1] Karnan was known for his ability to raise his head up for a long time, [2] thus able to win in many Thalappokkam (Heads-up) competitions [3] [4] giving him the name Nilavinte Thampuran, which translates into English as Emperor of Heights. [5] Karnan was one of the celebrity elephants in Kerala with a large fan following. [6]
Mangalamkunnu Ganapathy (now deceased), Mangalamkunnu Karnan, and Mangalamkunnu Ayyappan are the most famous elephants in the tharavadu. [7] In 1989, Karnan was repatriated from Chapra in Bihar by the Manissery Haridas group. It was in 2000 that the Mangalamkunnu family bought Karnan. [8] For the ninth year in a row, Karnan won the title for the Thalappokkam competition at the Sreekumara Ganesha Temple. [9] He was also known for winning many Thalappokkam competitions across Kerala. He has acted in some movies and TV commercials. [10] Along with the Malayalam movies Narasimham and Katha Nayagan, Karnan has appeared in the Bollywood movie Dil Se.. [11] Due to age-related issues, Karnan died (aged 60 to 63) on 28 January 2021 after suffering a cardiac arrest. [12] [13] [14] [15]