Royal Elephants of Cooch Behar Raj



 Cooch Behar Raj family always had a very strong herd of royal elephants in royal stables(pilkhana).The area at cooch behar town still known as pilkhana, this days here lives humans with their ever lasting cry for home,food and land.The herd at any instance was over seventy or eighty. Mostly during hey days of Cooch behar Raj, the times of the most famous king of the dynasty H.R.H. Col. Nripendra Narayan. 'Debraj' was the biggest of them.more than ten feet in height, semi albino with long tusks,the intelligent bull was perfectly trained to carry  Maharaja on it's back.Debraj had total control of the herd.He was the most efficient and trustworthy companion for Maharaja, in every Sikar (shooting) expeditions of  the king  himself and with his colonial lords and friends. There were many other very good quality elephants of both bulls and cows in the pilkhana,having interesting names such as Ratan Prasad, Bhup Bahadur,Nur Zehan,Sikunder,Kamakhya Prasad,Debraj,Jung Prasad, BijliPrasad, Indrajit,Sagarika,Ganesh,Meghnad, Kamalini,Rung Prasad, BirBahadur, Kennedy, Jung bahadur etc. 
Ratan persad


Kennedy was a young mischievous elephant,the king loved him for his excellent sikar skills, one day at Parokata near Barobhisa,kennedy fell into quick sand when returning to the camp;after a tiresome full day sikar.The mahaout of kennedy forced a short cut to camp crossing a suspicious bed of a dead stream.Kennedy understood the danger and was extreamely un willing to walk through it.But the dull mahout forced the beast such a manner, that kennedy put forward his legs and found himself engulfed up to thigh in quicksand immediately.So the evening concert of forest came to an uneasy halt,as the hapless beast begaun his extreme may day call to his master.Getting this news the king. rushed to the spot with all his men and other experienced elephants at once.Finding his master there kennedy stopped trumpetting, but his eyes beguan toflow heavy tears till rescue.The king  then prayed to goddess kamakhya for the life his loving beast,also promised to erect a temple to her name,if so.Kennedy was saved to full safety:king kept his promise.Proably this was the story behind the name of  todays township 'Kamakhya Guri' 
The Robust Nepalease fighting
Elephant  'Jung Persad'
Some gorgeous tuskers of Nripendra Narayan's herd


The 'Ganesh'
9ft 9inch tall 'Meghnad'

Another Durbar elephant


Another Nepalease fighting elephant.


Thanks.
Nirupam Ghosh
Cooch Behar
The 10ft 4inch tall 'Debraj'
.

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