Nadungamuwa Raja

 Reincarnated' Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja

A long time ago, a special tusker who was the object of our nation's people's respect and affection was "Raja" the tusker, who carried the sacred casket in the Kandy Esala Perahera. It would not be an exaggeration to say that after the tusker Raja's passing, the tusker who became the object of public attention, affection, respect, and even the veneration of some, was "Nadungamuwa Raja." Although called Nadungamuwa Raja, this tusker's real name was "Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja."

Born in 1953 in Manipur state, India, this tusker came to our country as a gift of gratitude. It was a gift to a monk from a family of physicians in our country who cured a disease that had afflicted an Indian royal. Later, from 1978 onwards, he was raised under the guardianship of the 'Dharma Vijaya' family of physicians in Nadungamuwa. Except for a few occasions since the year 2000 until 2021, it was Nadungamuwa Raja who had the fortune of carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic in the Dalada Perahera.

Asia's tallest tamed tusker, as well as a majestic tusker adorned with auspicious marks that captivated onlookers, Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja's residence was the homestead in Nadungamuwa, Gampaha, under the care of Dr. Harsha Dharma Vijaya. Finally, affirming the impermanence of all things, Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja passed away in the early morning of March 7th, 2022.

However, considering him a national treasure and following the precedent set by the preservation of the body of "Raja the tusker" at the Dalada Maligawa in the past, the government decided on the instructions of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to preserve the body of "Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja" as well. Although there were various discussions about the preservation site, it was decided that the work would be carried out by the Colombo National Museum Department. Accordingly, under the direction of the Department's Director General, Ms. Sanuja Kasturiarachchi, it is currently being preserved at the department's Natural Museum premises.

Nadungamuwa Raja died at Dr. Harsha Dharma Vijaya's homestead. However, it is being preserved at the Colombo National Museum premises. Using this as an entry point, we inquired from the department's Deputy Director General (Zoology) in charge of the preservation work, Ms. Lankani Somaratne, about the preservation process.

"Yes. We first went to the relevant site. Here, more time and labor had to be invested than what is usually spent on preserving a normal animal. So about fourteen of us worked day and night on this. First, we took the necessary measurements accurately. That was a somewhat strenuous task because this is not a normal animal, it's a tusker. For that, a crane was used. Taking measurements took about six hours. Usually, if preserving an animal, that work should start within about twelve hours of death. So after taking measurements, we began skinning. Normally, when skinning, you cannot do it intermittently. It has to be done continuously.

There, we skinned continuously for about forty-eight hours. During that time, chemical solutions were applied intermittently for preservation. Afterwards, we carried out basic preservation work for about another eight days. There, with the help of backhoes, a pit was dug, and the skin was placed in it and immersed in a chemical solution. Meanwhile, the tusker's two tusks and skull were transported to the Museum Department.

All this work was done under police security. Furthermore, the entry of outsiders was prevented. However, that security was not limited to that. It was also because the tusks and skull brought to the museum premises had to be buried again on those same premises. That too was done to ensure the success of the preservation work. The tusks and skull were buried over a period of three months. During that entire period, special police security was provided for it. Later, the preserved skin of the tusker was brought and deposited in a refrigerated container belonging to the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Truly, preserving "Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja" was a responsible task. Although there was prior experience in preserving the Dalada Maligawa's "Raja" and the Millangoda Raja, and although more advanced preservation methods existed compared to the past, Nadungamuwa Raja was a tusker that received much greater public attention than the aforementioned tuskers.

Many people have photographs of the tusker. Many have even observed its various postures and behavioral patterns. Therefore, if there is a difference between the image of Nadungamuwa Raja in the public consciousness and the condition of Nadungamuwa Raja after preservation, it could face criticism from many. We also inquired about this challenging situation.

"Yes. That situation must be prevented. Therefore, we involved resource persons like Senior Professor Devaka Weerakoon from the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, and Director of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Veterinary Surgeon Taraka Prasad. Also, Professor Nihal Dayawansa from the University of Colombo helped. So when preserving, for example, the placement of the tusker's feet, the posture along with the shape of the feet, ears, etc., since sensitive organs are difficult to preserve and reconstruct, those conditions were well supervised."

Indeed, this means making the work of the Museum Department officials and the staff involved more productive and enabling a better preservation task. Therefore, receiving such advisory contributions from field scholars is more effective.

Meanwhile, as mentioned before, the tusker's skin, which had been kept in the Wildlife Department's freezer, was brought to the National Museum premises, preserved, and deposited in the National Museum's refrigerated chambers.

After this, regarding the method of assembling the tusker's skeleton, when we asked Ms. Chamalka Kothelawala, the first woman to contribute to the Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja Preservation Project and currently the only taxidermist in South Asia, from the National Museum's Natural Science Department, she said the following:

"For now, we have allocated a specific place at the Natural History Museum of the National Museum and started that work. Here, under the supervision of the aforementioned resource scholars, we dug pits about one and a half feet wide and placed the tusker's feet there. Also, the iron frame for the tusker is now being prepared. After that, using materials like padding, netting, plaster bandages, and preservatives, the tusker's body is created. Then the skull and two tusks are attached. Here, attaching the skull and two tusks is not a simple task. Because the parts must be attached with the correct technique so they can bear the weight of the body. After that, the preserved skin parts are properly placed on the tusker's frame, stitched, and the work is finished. Here, the tusker's eyes are made from artificial glass eyes imported from abroad.

After thus basically completing the preservation work and after assembling the frame and covering it with skin, one might think all work is finished. At first glance it may seem so, but the real situation is not that. Whatever creation we make, there are times when the entire creation is measured based on how successful its final finish is. Considering that situation in the preservation of Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja, the final form of the tusker is especially important. Because the image of Nadungamuwa Raja is so deeply ingrained in the public mind. We also specifically inquired about this situation.

"Yes. Actually, the final form of the tusker must be obtained properly. There is a special group at the National Museum Department to properly arrange the final form. They are called 'model artists'. They are a group like sculptors. There, to properly obtain the tusker's form after putting on the skin, we get the assistance of model artists. Especially artists like Susantha Balasuriya, Ravindra Wickramanayake, Amila Senanayake, and Thilina Tharaka contribute to this.

After that, we apply chemical solutions again to carry out those preservation tasks. The reason for that is, the seams we made need to be smoothed. If any artificial-looking conditions appear there, they need to be smoothed. So all this is done. The aim of all this is to do the finishing well. That means, so that one cannot tell if this is the preserved and created 'Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja' tusker or not."

Amidst all this, we finally asked taxidermist Ms. Chamalka Kothelawala about the difference between the preservation work done on the Dalada Maligawa's Raja and the later preserved Millangoda Raja, and the current preservation work on the Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja tusker.

"For the two tuskers, the Dalada Maligawa's Raja and Millangoda Raja, the dry preservation method was used. But for Nadungamuwa Raja, the wet preservation method was used. The other difference is that for the Dalada Maligawa's Raja and Millangoda Raja, jackwood frames were used as skeletons. But for Nadungamuwa Raja, an iron frame was used. These are the main differences."

From the moment it was learned that Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja had died and instructions were received to preserve it, from the responsible task of properly separating the skin, working tirelessly to this day, and those who hope to continue their work with commitment until the work is finished—the officials and staff of the National Museum Department truly deserve our appreciation. Because a much more uniquely disciplined role than what is visible externally is being fulfilled by them.

However, Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja is not with us today. But it is not an exaggeration to say that the memory of that special tusker is refreshed every time he is seen in processions. To not only refresh that memory but also to communicate it to future generations, it will be possible through the image of Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja being preserved and reconstructed at the Natural Museum premises of the National Museum Department. That will be soon, with the opening to public display of the preserved 'Nadungamuwa Vijaya Raja'.