By N. Niranjan Nikam
The Gajendra Moksha Kalyani is said to have been built around 1,200 years ago as part of an expansion plan of the Ranganathaswami Temple that was built about 1,400 years ago. Some say that there used to be a pond where the present Kalyani is located. There is a story that inspired the pond to be converted into a Kalyani. Once there was an elephant (Gajendra) who was an ardent devotee of the Lord Ranganathaswami. One day, the elephant entered a pond to bathe and its leg was caught by a crocodile. This crocodile was once a human being who had been cursed by a Sanyasi to be born in the next life as a crocodile.
