Dingiri Mahattaya

1: Nawam (fatal attack)

1. 1998-07-23: mahout Dingiri Mahattaya attacked by Nawam. On Thursday July 23 Navam Raja, an elephant from the Gangaramaya Temple ran amok at the Dharmapala Mawatha/Green Path roundabout in Colombo chasing a keeper, and holding up traffic at the busy junction for half an hour. Dingiri Mahattaya Survived. A priest from the Gangaramaya succeeded in calming him down with offerings of sweets.
2. 1998-07-31: mahout Dingiri Mahattaya fatal attack by Nawam. He leaned his hook against the wall and removed the chain from the back leg of the elephant. As there was a small branch entangled with the chain, Dingiri Mahattaya bent to remove it. The elephant suddenly knocked him over with his tusk, gored him and flung him up to the electric wire. Dingiri Mahattaya † Dingiri Mahattaya Died 1998-07-31, Sri Dalada Maligawa Temple of the Tooth, Kandy. All of us, other mahouts who were nearby, pelted the elephant with stones and he stepped back. Dingiri Mahattaya fell behind a large log that lay in the corner. As the elephant came looking for him again, we pelted more stones. We managed to extricate the bleeding Dingiri Mahattaya from the corner.

1998-07-23: On Thursday July 23 Navam Raja, an elephant from the Gangaramaya Temple ran amok at the Dharmapala Mawatha/Green Path roundabout in Colombo chasing a keeper, and holding up traffic at the busy junction for half an hour. A priest from the Gangaramaya succeeded in calming him down with offerings of sweets.

1998-07-31: Eight days later, at Kandy, where he was taken to participate at the Esala Perahera, he again went berserk, killing his own Mahout in a fit of rage.

L.W.R. Somaratne Banda of Galathara, Mawanella, was an eye witness to the incident. He is the keeper of a nine year old baby elephant who is usually tethered next to Navam Raja. I asked the keeper Dingiri Mahattaya to vacate the place for my elephant. He leaned his hook against the wall and removed the chain from the back leg of the elephant. As there was a small branch entangled with the chain, Dingiri Mahattaya bent to remove it. The elephant suddenly knocked him over with his tusk, gored him and flung him up to the electric wire. All of us, other mahouts who were nearby, pelted the elephant with stones and he stepped back. Dingiri Mahattaya fell behind a large log that lay in the corner. As the elephant came looking for him again, we pelted more stones. We managed to extricate the bleeding Dingiri Mahattaya from the corner. Fearing he would attack my baby elephant, I also unchained him and took him away.

"Dingiri Mahattaya trusted the elephant and never imagined that he could be injured. We did not hear him uttering a word or scream through all this. We only heard his golaya (assistant) shouting 'Dingi Aiya, Dingi Aiya.'"