This city is located in Kerala State which is renowned for its elephants. For centuries, all Kerala residents had at least 1 & often more elephants which they revere for their "work ethic", ability to bring good luck/fortune to their owners & their integral symbolism in the Hindu religion. Because of costs & "mechanization" (aka tractors), few families now own elephants.. But there are still 100+ elephants here (most owned/cared for by individual Hindu temples) & the city is still famous for its annual "Elephant Festival" - attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world.
One of this city's famous sights is the Punathoor Elephant Fort - built over 500 years ago to feed & provide herbal medical treatments to Kerala Hindu Temple elephants. The "fort" is huge & on any given day there are 60+ elephants here for feeding, bathing & medical diagnoses/treatments. They are scattered (to avoid "male-to-male conflicts") over a 25+ acre area. Above are pics of various areas of the park.
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