Thailand’s Extraordinary Elephants
The elephant has been a cultural icon of Thailand since ancient days called “Land of white elephants” The white elephant, Airavata(Erawan), carries the Hindu god, Indra. These white elephants have traditionally been treated as sacred animals. There is even a common belief that Gautama Buddha appeared in the form of a white elephant in a previous life before he was born as a human. Because of this, white elephants are a major symbol of divine royal power in Thailand. The number of white elephants a king possesses symbolizes how much power that king has.
Thailand is the only Southeast Asian nation that has never been colonized by Europeans, making our culturally strong. Our government remains purely Thai. The white elephants help to symbolize this. Thailand is known as “land of white elephant” because Thailand has never been colonized by the Europeans, because through diplomacy the former King of Thailand managed to keep Thailand from being colonized by the superpowers then. France, Britain, Portugal, Netherlands were all in the land claiming days and all countries were taken except Thailand which remained free and independent. Thai means free, as in independent. It was once an uncolonized nation, unlike other SE Asian countries. Because in Thai the name means “land of the free”
Colonialism is dead…instead of riding elephants learn to care for them instead. By feeding and bathing these incredible creatures you are honoring their true nobility…and yours.
“Why travel like a tourist when you can blend in like a local?”
Location : Chiang Mai, Thailand
