First female elephant keeper, 75-year-old Mrs. P. Gnanawathi, passes away.

It is reported that 75-year-old Mrs. P. Gnanawathi, who is considered the country's first female elephant mahout, passed away recently.

It is stated that she passed away while receiving treatment at Kalutara Nagoda General Hospital, where she was admitted a few days ago due to a sudden illness.

After her body was placed in a funeral parlor in Agalawatta for final respects, the last rites were performed on the 21st at the Baduraliya Thumbagalla crematorium. Mrs. Gnanawathi married Mr. Sarath Gamini Rajapaksha, a resident of Dompe, around 1995 and moved to the Hadigalla, Dikwena area. Subsequently, her husband, Mr. Gamini Rajapaksha, stated that Mrs. Gnanawathi also accompanied him in 2005 to care for an elephant in the Ambatale area.

There, Mrs. Gnanawathi and Mr. Gamini Rajapaksha together cared for an elephant named 'Gune,' and Mr. Gamini Rajapaksha further stated that by 2017, the full responsibility of caring for that elephant was entrusted to her. With the elephant Gune, Mrs. Gnanawathi also contributed to decorating many leading peraheras (pageants) in the country, including those in Kandy, Lankathilaka, Nawagamuwa, Kelaniya, and Bellanwila.

Meanwhile, her husband mentions that around 2022, Mrs. Gnanawathi also cared for an elephant belonging to a person in the Deniyaya area for a monthly salary of fifteen thousand rupees.