Royal Rest For a Queen: Guruvayur's Nandini Gets High-tech Bed

New Delhi: Picture a Grandmother's story told in 2050 that begins like this, "Once upon a time, in the heart of Guruvayur Temple, Nandini, a venerable sixty-year-old elephant residing at the 'Anakotta' elephant camp in Guruvayur, Kerala, was enjoying luxurious nights, courtesy new comfortable rubber bed."

In the mysterious future of 2050, elephants might be indulging in slumber on something far more advanced than a mere rubber mattress. Yet, the captivating tale of Nandini, the elephant luxuriating on a rubberized mattress, could very well trace its origins back to the enchanting saga of December 2023, a heartwarming account penned by a devoted Guruvayur Temple enthusiast. In a gesture that resonated with jubilant trumpets of delight, the Guruvayur Elephant Camp took a bold step to treat their cherished elephants to a spectacular extravaganza of rubber mattresses, ensuring that these gentle giants received the beauty sleep they truly deserved.

Manikyan, a devotee of lord Krishna in Guruvayur from Coimbatore sponsored a mattress floor that is layered with generously padded soft rubber atop the concrete structure.  It's not merely a mattress that's like a flatbed. The design was made in such a manner that fits the sleeping style of a pachyderm. So if Nandini decides to sleep on her side, a cosy rubberised dream awaits to hold her body from both sides.

The act of devotion cost Manikyan a whopping Rs 8 lakhs for the first-ever rubberised luxury suite in the elephant enclosure. Nandini, the first elephant to get this cosy suit had previously got an infection on her foot due to languishing in mud for a long. So this rubber dream is a great health boost too.

With no muddy business on the mattress, experts believe that Nandini could prevent any infection in future on her leg, which gave her trouble for long. Although she is the only elephant who won herself a 'king size' comfort, Devaswom officials say that they intend to provide similar mattresses for other elephants in the camp as well.

While another pachyderm may feel this a little unfair for a while, it's sweet dreams for Nandini!