Ceremony of Granting Title: Auspicious ceremony of granting title for royal white baby elephant

The auspicious ceremony of granting title and residential building for the royal baby white elephant given birth by a 33-year-old female elephant called Zar Nan Hla kept by the Myanma Timber Enterprise in Taungup Township of Rakhine State at 6:30 AM on 23rd July 2022, was held at the building for the royal white elephant at the precinct of the Uppatasanti Pagoda in Nay Pyi Taw in the morning on 30th October.

The Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister and wife Daw Kyu Kyu Hla, SAC Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister and wife Daw Than Than Nwe, council members and wives, council secretary and joint-secretary and their wives, union ministers and wives, union level officials, chairman of Nay Pyi Taw Council, senior military officials and wives, commander of Nay Pyi Taw Command and officials concerned attended the ceremony.

First, the auspicious ceremony of protecting from peril was carried out by directing the baby white elephant and its mother to circular the pagoda in clockwise and the Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister, the Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister sprinkled with the scented water to the royal baby white elephant and a rotating president of the pagoda board of trustee showered the ceremonial rice grains and popped rice.

Next, the royal baby white elephant was taken to its residential building and a ceremony similar to the housewarming ceremony was held and the SAC chairman Prime Minister, Vice chairman deputy prime minister and wives fed the foodstuff to the royal baby white elephant as an auspicious ceremony relating to the royal white elephant.As a next auspicious ceremony, the responsible persons arranged for the baby white elephant to see the sun facing to the Uppatasanti pagoda and an auspicious ceremony of granting title by announcing the title of the royal baby white elephant by the master of ceremony.

Then, the Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Council Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister vice senior general Soe Win and Council member General Mya Tun Oo called three time of Rattha Nandaka which is the title of the royal baby white elephant meaning country’s beloved royal white elephant.

Afterward, the auspicious ceremony of presenting gifts and charms by the Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister and the elephant keeper accepted.After wishing for the royal baby white elephant to be healthy, prosperous, free from diseases and long life and the country’s peace, prosperity and development by the master of ceremony, the ceremony was concluded.

After the ceremony, the SAC chairman prime minister and wife, vice chairman deputy prime minister and wife and attendees fed the Rattha Nandaka baby white elephant and its companion white elephants with foodstuffs. The baby elephant is two feet and five inches in height, three feet and one inch in girth with its birth weight of 180 pounds.

The newly-born white elephant has pearl-coloured eyes, a plantain branch-shaped back, white hair, a distinctive tail, auspicious plot signs on the skin, reddish-brown or pinkish skin, five claws on the front legs, four claws on the back legs and big ears. These features conform to seven out of eight characteristics of white elephant.

The baby white elephant is now 3 months and 7 days old, with two feet and 10 inches in height, four feet in girth and weighs about 265 pounds. He got the Nay Pyi Taw together with his mother elephant on October 27. He stays healthy and happy with his mother elephant at the white elephant house at the precinct of Uppatasanti Pagoda. Rattha Nandaka baby white elephant is a 10th white elephant, it’s learnt.