INTRODUCTION
Airavata is a white elephant and the vehicle of Lord Indra. His consort is ‘Abhramu’. Airavata is believed to be the son of the great rishi Kashyapa and his consort Kadru. He is also mentioned in several epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, and in Jain texts.
Airavata is considered as the king amongthe elephants. He contains great powers, and obediently serves his master.He helped Lord Indra, towards defeating the demons, during his several battles with the demons. Being an elephant, he was a sincere devotee of Lord Vinayaka, and chants his mantra repeatedly.
According to another legend, Airavata is believed to have been formed while churning the ocean of milk. Airavata also acts as a divine gate keeper of Svarka, Lord Indra’s divine abode. Airavata is considered to be the beloved servant of Indra. Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita has mentioned about the importance of Airavatha, and tells that “Among the elephants, I am the mighty Airavata”.
At Darasuram Temple,Airavata has worshipped Lord Shiva, and hence the temple is known as Airavateswara Temple. This temple was built by RajarajaChola II during the 12th century.
Let us worship the divine elephant and be blessed.
“OM SRI AIRAVATARE NAMAHA”
“OM SRI INDIRA BHAGAWANE NAMAHA”
“OM SRI VINAYAKAYA NAMAHA”
WRITTEN BY R.HARISHANKAR
