Jefferykip at 01:25, 2 January 2026

2026-01-02T01:25:51Z

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{{Short description|Mythical creature in Hinduism}}
{{redirect|Gajendra}}
{{for|the Cambodian foundation|Airavata Elephant Foundation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}}
[[image:Indradeva.jpg|thumb|[[Indra]] (alias Sakra) and [[Shachi]] riding the five-headed Divine Elephant Airavata, Folio from a Jain text, [[Panch Kalyanaka]] (Five Auspicious Events in the Life of Jina [[Rishabhanatha]]), c. 1670–1680, Painting in [[LACMA]] museum, originally from [[Amber, India|Amber]], [[Rajasthan]]]]

'''Airavata''' ({{langx|sa|ऐरावत|translit=airāvata|translit-std=IAST|lit=belonging to [[Iravati]]}}, [[Pali|Pāḷi]] ''Erāvana, [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]]:'' ''Airāvana'') is a divine elephant. According to sacred Hindu texts, Airavata was born with three heads, six tusks and three trunks. He is pristine white. Some [[Puranas]] say Airavata was born with ten tusks, five trunks, and 10 teeth, representing 10 directions. He is the "king of elephants" and serves as the main vehicle for the deity [[Indra]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Dalal |first=Roshen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC&dq=airavata&pg=PA14 |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |date=2010 |publisher=Penguin Books India |isbn=978-0-14-341421-6 |pages=13–14 |language=en}}</ref> He is also called 'Abhra-matanga', meaning "elephant of the clouds"; 'Naga-malla', meaning "the fighting elephant"; and 'Arkasodara', meaning "brother of the sun".<ref>{{cite book|last=Dowson|first=John|title=A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature|year=1870|publisher=Trübner & Company|location=London|page=180}}</ref> 'Abhramu' is the elephant wife of Airavata. Airavata is also the third son of [[Iravati]]. In the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' he is listed as a great serpent.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ganguli |first=Kishori Mohan |title=SECTION XXXV |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01036.htm |work=[[Mahabharata]] |publisher=Pratap Chandra Babu}}</ref>

==Hindu tradition==
[[File:Bangkok Wat Arun Phra Prang Indra Erawan.jpg|thumb|200px|Detail of the Phra Prang, the central tower of the [[Wat Arun]] ("Temple of Dawn") in [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]], showing [[Indra]] on his three-headed elephant Erawan (Airavata)]]

The appearance or birth of Airavata varies according to different Hindu texts. In the [[Ramayana]], Airavata was born to [[Iravati]] (descendant of the sage, [[Kashyapa]]) whereas, the Vishnu Purana notes that Airavata was born from the churning of the [[ocean of milk]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=George M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7LOZfwCDpEC&dq=airavata+hindu+mythology&pg=PA52 |title=Handbook of Hindu Mythology |date=2008-03-27 |publisher=OUP USA |isbn=978-0-19-533261-2 |pages=52 |language=en}}</ref> According to the Matangalila, Airavata was born when [[Brahma]] sang sacred [[hymns]] over the halves of the egg shell from which [[Garuda]] hatched, followed by seven more male and eight female elephants. [[Prithu]] made Airavata king of all elephants. One of his names means "the one who knits or binds the clouds" since myth has it that these elephants are capable of producing clouds. The connection of elephants with water and rain is emphasized in the [[Hindu mythology|mythology]] of Indra, who rides the elephant Airavata when he defeats [[Vritra]].

It is believed that the elephant guards one of the points of compass.<ref>{{cite book|title=India through the ages|url=https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada|last=Gopal|first=Madan|year= 1990| page= [https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada/page/64 64]|editor=K.S. Gautam|publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}}</ref> Airavata also stands at the entrance to [[Svarga]], Indra's [[palace]]. In addition, the eight [[Guardians of the directions|guardian deities]] who preside over the points of the [[compass]] each sit on an elephant ([[World Elephant|world elephant]]). Each of these deities has an elephant that takes part in the defense and protection of its respective quarter. Chief among them is Airavata of [[Indra]]. There is a reference to Airavata in the [[Bhagavad Gita]]:

{{Blockquote|Of horses, know Me to be the nectar-born [[Uchchaihshravas]]; of lordly elephants, Airavata and of men, the monarch.<ref>[http://bhagavadgitaasitis.com/10/27/en1 Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 10, Verse 27)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930015252/http://bhagavadgitaasitis.com/10/27/en1 |date=30 September 2007 }}</ref>}}

Airavata is also known for being the cause of the churning of the ocean. Once sage [[Durvasa]] presented a garland to Indra, who passed it on to Airavata. The elephant then threw the garland on to the ground, which angered Durvasa and resulted in the demigods to be "subject to old age and death." Reversing the curse required the devas to retrieve the nectar of immortality by churning the ocean of milk.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lochtefeld |first=James G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AbWazgEACAAJ |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M |date=2002 |publisher=Rosen |isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8 |pages=19 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

At [[Darasuram]] near [[Tanjore]] is [[Airavatesvara Temple|a temple]] where it is believed that Airavata worshipped the [[Lingam]]; the Lingam is named after him as Airavateshwara. This temple, which abounds in rare sculpture and [[architectural]] workmanship, was built by [[Rajaraja Chola II]] (1146–73 CE).<ref>{{cite book |title=World Heritage Monuments and Related Edifices in India |url=https://archive.org/details/worldheritagemon00javi |url-access=limited |author=Ali Javid |author2=ʻAlī Jāvīd |author3=Tabassum Javeed |publisher=Algora Publishing |date=2008 |page=[https://archive.org/details/worldheritagemon00javi/page/n66 57]}}</ref>

==Jain tradition==
In Jain tradition, when a [[Tirthankara]] is born, [[Indra]] descends with his consort, [[Shachi]], riding their mount, the great elephant Airavata, to celebrate the event.{{sfn|Goswamy|2014|p=245}}

==Flags with Airavata==
; Laos
<gallery widths="200px" perrow="3">
Flag of French Laos.svg|Flag of [[French Laos]] (1893–1952)
Flag of Laos (1952-1975).svg|[[Flag of Laos|Flag of the Provisional Royal Lao Government]] (1952–1975, 2003-current)
Royal Standard of the Kingdom of Laos.svg|Laotian royal standard (1952–1975)
</gallery>

; Siam (Thailand)
<gallery widths="200px" perrow="3">
Siamese Royal Standard (absent) (Rama IV).svg|[[Royal Standard of Thailand#Fourth reign|"Thong Airaphot" (ธงไอยราพต) King's Absent Standard (1855–1891 & 1897–1910)]]
Siamese Royal Standard (absent) (Rama V).svg|[[Royal Standard of Thailand#Fifth reign|"Thong Chuthathipathai" (ธงจุฑาธิปไตย) King's Absent Standard (1891–1897)]]
Flag of Bangkok.svg|Flag of the [[Bangkok Metropolitan Administration]]
</gallery>

==Erawan==
[[File:Erawan.JPG|200px|thumb|Erawan statue in [[Chiang Mai]], Thailand.]]

'''Erawan''' ({{langx|th|เอราวัณ}}, from [[Pali|Pāḷi]] ''Erāvana'', or [[Sanskrit]] ''Airāvana'') is one of the [[Thai language|Thai]] names of Airavata. It is depicted as a huge elephant with either three or sometimes thirty-three heads which are often shown with more than two tusks. Some statues show [[Indra]], the king of Tavatimsa Heaven, riding on Erawan.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}
[[File:Airavata.svg|left|thumb|Modern Art Depiction Of Airavata]]
The elephant became the symbol of [[Bangkok]] by association with Indra during [[Rattanakosin Island|its foundation]] as the capital of the new [[Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932)|Rattanakosin Kingdom]] .<ref>{{Cite book|last=Roy|first=Edward Van|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bh1qDwAAQBAJ&dq=airavata+erawan&pg=PT17|title=Siamese Melting Pot|date=2018|publisher=Flipside Digital Content Company Inc.|isbn=978-981-4762-85-4|pages=16–17|language=en}}</ref> It is also sometimes associated with the old [[Lao people|Lao]] Kingdom of [[Lan Xang]] and the defunct [[Kingdom of Laos]], where it was more commonly known as the "three-headed elephant" and had been used on the royal flag.<ref>{{Cite book|editor-first=Frank E.|editor-last=Reynolds|title=Three worlds According To King Ruang: A Thai Buddhist Cosmology|publisher=[[University of California, Berkeley|Berkeley]]|year=1982|isbn=0-89581-153-7}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
Airavata is a recruitable character in the ''[[Megami Tensei]]'' video game series.

Airavata is referenced in the song "The Animal Tent" on the album ''The Circus'' by [[The Venetia Fair]]:

{{Blockquote|Here comes Airavata; the elephant controls the rainclouds,
His skin the rumbling earth (Airavata!)}}

Airavata is the name of the Volvo bus service that [[Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation]] provides.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/ksrtc-launches-volvo-buses-with-pantry-and-toilet/article3655889.ece | title=KSRTC launches Volvo buses with pantry and toilet | newspaper=[[The Hindu]] | date=19 July 2012 | access-date=27 August 2014}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Erawan Shrine]]
* [[Erawan Museum]]

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== General references ==
* {{citation |last=Goswamy |first=B. N. |author-link=B. N. Goswamy |title=The Spirit of Indian Painting: Close Encounters with 100 Great Works 1100–1900 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J5E3BQAAQBAJ |publisher=Penguin Books |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-670-08657-3 }}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Hindu deities and texts}}

[[Category:Elephants in Indian culture]]
[[Category:Elephants in Thailand]]
[[Category:Hindu iconography]]
[[Category:Legendary creatures in Hindu mythology]]
[[Category:Indian legendary characters]]
[[Category:Mythological elephants]]
[[Category:Thai art]]
[[Category:Culture of Thailand]]
[[Category:Elephants in Buddhism]]
[[Category:Elephants in Hinduism]]
[[Category:Indra]]
[[Category:Legendary creatures with supernumerary body parts]]

Airavata - Revision history

Jefferykip at 01:25, 2 January 2026