White elephant

Elephant Guard

The elephant on the premises of the Buddha temple is considered to be a guardian of the temple and of Buddha himself.

A magnificent  white elephant guarding the temple

Also gives a depiction of the birth of Lord Buddha. According to the ancient texts, one night the Queen  " Mayadevi ' ( mother of Gautam Buddha ) dreamed that from heaven a white elephant entering her womb. From that very night, the queen conceived that the child is magical and powerful.

Later on, the queen give birth to the baby without feeling any labour pain during delivery and when the King " Shuddhodana " saw the baby child, he named him " Siddhartha ".


In Buddhism, there is an emphasis on the symbolization of Animals
Therefore, Elephant has the main characteristics of being strong and steadfast hence it becomes a symbol of physical and mental health and strength as well as responsibility and earthiness.