- Title: Thailand unveils "white" elephant fit for a king
- Date: 1st May 2019
- Summary: MAHA SARAKHAM PROVINCE, THAILAND (APRIL 25, 2019) (REUTERS) PLAI (WHICH MEANS MALE ELEPHANT IN THAI) EKACHAI WALKING IN CHANGTHONGKHUM ELEPHANT CONSERVATION CENTRE VARIOUS OF EKACHAI WALKING NEXT TO TEMPLE STRUCTURES ELEPHANT ENCLOSURE EKACHAI WALKING TOWARDS HOSE SPRAYING WATER EKACHAI BEING BRUSHED EKACHAI'S FRECKLED SKIN EKACHAI'S HANDLER, VICHIAN PRATHUMDEE, CLEANING T
- Embargoed: 15th May 2019 01:21
- Keywords: King Vajiralongkorn Thai king white elephant conservation center Chanthongkhum Plai Ekachai thai royal Thailand white coronation gift elephant mahout
- Location: MAHA SARAKHAM PROVINCE, THAILAND
- City: MAHA SARAKHAM PROVINCE, THAILAND
- Country: Thailand
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Royals,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001AD2GLS7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Facing a portrait of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Plai Ekachai wakes up on a mound of mud and starts his day by eating Napier grass in an elephant sanctuary located within a sleepy town at the country's north-eastern region.
His mahout, Vichian Prathumdee, 44, then takes him out for an hour-long stroll around the camp as daily exercise, before scrubbing him squeaky clean in a shower to rinse away last night's dirt, revealing smooth skin and light spots all over his features that come as a stark contrast to his peers' harsh, wrinkly hides.
Plai Ekachai, 33, is the first "white" elephant to be discovered under the reign of King Rama X, as Vajiralongkorn is known, and is set to be presented as a gift to the country's new monarch after this weekend's coronation ceremonies, the first the country will have seen in 69 years. Plai in Thai means male elephant.
Ekachai spends all his time with Vichian, who takes care of him in every way, from collecting his faeces to showering him with kisses and cuddles.
"I'm extremely proud to play a part in taking care of His Highness, Plai Ekachai. It's the greatest honour of a mahout's life. It's my life's miracle," he said.
Ekachai hails from the southern tourist town of Krabi, where he was forced - and decidedly refused - to haul heavy logs and let tourists ride him.
Thanabodee Promsook, 35, the chairman of Chanthongkhum Elephant Conservation Centre, who bought the elephant in 2010 and brought him to Maha Sarakham, says Ekachai "has it all".
"He looks formidable, handsome and beautiful, he is everything an elephant can be," he told Reuters.
Although not an albino, Ekachai is white - an indication of purity - in all the right places. According to ancient Brahman texts, a white elephant has seven auspicious characteristics: white spots in the eyes, a white soft palate, white toenails, white hair, white or pink skin, white tail hair, and white genitalia.
Elephants that tick all the boxes are rare and especially revered in Thailand, where they are regarded as a symbol of kingship and treated as deities, mainly because the white elephant Airavata - or Erawan as Thais call him - is the "vehicle" of Indra, king of the Hindu gods.
The appearance of white elephants is believed to be associated with the moral authority of the country's reigning monarch, and is believed to bring prosperity to the nation. The king's father, late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, had received 10 white elephants during his 70-year reign.
Every day visitors come to see him and pay to take photos with him, believing it will bring them good luck. Children watch in awe as Ekachai raises his trunk and roar - a uniquely deep, forceful sound that is nothing like the usual elephant trumpeting - while adults buy lottery tickets based on "auspicious numbers" associated with the auspicious elephant and amulets blessed by him.
There is no set date yet for when Ekachai will undergo an official ceremony to become a royal white elephant of King Rama X, which will see him granted a royal name and title. It will be the country's first such event since 1978.
(Production: Prapan Chankaew, Juarawee Kittisilpa) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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