A video of an elephant running amok at the concluding ceremony of the Tharakkal temple festival at Thrissur in Kerala on Friday night has emerged on social media.
According to the website of Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi, the incident took place at around 10:30 pm when the elephant, Guruvayur Ravikrishnan, parading for the ‘Ammathiruvady’ deity of Urakam, went berserk, causing panic among those attending the festival.
Ravikrishnan’s mahout had a narrow escape as the enraged tusker made at least three attempts to attack him. The mahout, Sreekumar, sustained minor injuries and was rushed to a hospital at Koorkencherry, the website reported.
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Ravikrishnan. winner of the ritual elephant race held in February 2022 at the end of the annual 10-day Guruvayur festival, charged at another elephant, Puthupally Arjunan, carrying the ‘Arattupuzha’ deity. Those riding the elephants fell off in the melee and sustained injuries. A few other people were also reported to be injured. Fortunately, no loss of life was reported.
Arjunan, rocked back by the suddenness and ferocity of the attack, turned tail and fled through the crowd, with Ravikrishnan in hot pursuit. Both the agitated giants were later brought under control by the elephant squad.
ആറാട്ടുപുഴ പൂരത്തിനിടെ ആനകൾ തമ്മിൽ കൊമ്പുകോർത്തു pic.twitter.com/rExJ8Bdd2G
— Samakalika Malayalam (@samakalikam) March 23, 2024
Captive elephants are an integral part of temple festivals in Kerala. However, animal rights groups have long alleged that these elephants are overworked and abused during the festival season, making them prone to aggressive behaviour. It is precisely to prevent such accusations and incidents that some temples have started acquiring robotic elephants for their rituals.
