Did You know? – About White Elephants in Thailand
At Kerchor ECO Elephant Sanctuary, we do not have White Elephants. But we like to share with our customers some background about elephants in Thailand, as this information are important for us, and You as our customer deserve to get a knowledge from our “Family” – the Elephants!
Some information we like to share about White Elephants
“According to Brahmanic belief, if a monarch possessed one or more ‘white’ elephants, it was a glorious and happy sign.” King Trailok possessed the first. In the Thai language, they are called albino, not white, indicating “pale yellow eyes and white nails”, with white hair. The “rough skin was either pink all over or had pink patches on the head, trunk, or forelegs.” “They were not worshipped for themselves and were regarded as an appendage to the King’s majesty.”
In Thailand, white elephants (ช้างเผือก, chang phueak) (also known as Pink Elephants) are considered sacred and are a symbol of royal power; all those discovered are presented to the king (although this presentation is usually a ceremonial one—the elephants are not actually taken into captivity). Historically, the status of kings has been evaluated by the number of white elephants in their possession. The late king Bhumibol Adulyadej owned as many as 21 white elephants — considered an unprecedented achievement, making him the monarch who owned the greatest number of Chang Phueak in Thai history. The first elephant found in King Bhumibol’s reign was regarded as the most important elephant in the whole realm; it received the royal title which bears his majesty’s own name: Phra Savet Adulyadej Pahol Bhumibol Navanatta-parami (พระเศวตอดุลยเดชพาหล ภูมิพลนวนาถบารมี). However, the King did not bestow royal titles to all of the white elephants in his possession. Today eleven of these elephants are still alive and only five have royal titles.
A white elephant in Thailand is not necessarily albino, although it must have pale skin. After being discovered, the elephants are assigned to one of four graded categories before being offered to the king, although the lower grades are sometimes refused.
