 "Trunk Call: The Kerala temple that is replacing elephants with robots")
In order to abolish the tradition of using captive elephants for temple rituals, a temple in a southern Indian state has introduced a life-size mechanical elephant to conduct rituals.
The initiative by authorities at Irinjadappilly Sree Krishna Temple in Kerala’s Thrissur district is part of their pledge to stop using live animals for any festivities.
Over a fifth of the nation’s around 2,500 captive elephants live in Kerala, where temple celebrations involve shackled and adorned elephants, according to BBC.
Let’s take a closer look at why the robotic elephant has been installed and how it will help continue the long-standing tradition in Kerala.
What is the robotic elephant?
The 11-foot-tall “robotic elephant” weighs 800 kilograms and is made of an iron frame and rubber coating, reported Indian Express.
It was donated to Thrissur’s Krishna temple by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and actor Parvathy Thiruvothu.
The elephant, which costs Rs 5 lakh, has been named “Irinjadappilly Raman.”
Quick Reads
View AllA “Nadayiruthal” ceremony – a ritual offering elephants to the deity in Kerala temples – was also performed.
A group of artists in Thrissur who have been providing statues for the Dubai Shopping Festival created the robotic elephant.
Why robotic elephant has been installed?
Animal rights activists have been raising issues with how they are treated for years.
As per BBC, the Centre for Research on Animal Rights penned a letter to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan about the increased mortality of the mammal. They noted that 138 captive elephants had died in the state between 2018 and 2023.
Thus, by replacing the robot with the real elephant, the authorities hoped this would help in holding events in a “cruelty-free manner.”
Issuing a statement on Monday, PETA said that subjecting live elephants to extremely loud noises during festivals was “cruel” and urged all temples in the state to switch to lifelike mechanical elephants, reported BBC.
It said, “It’s high time we made stronger and more impactful strides towards stopping such abuse and letting animals have respectful and dignified lives.”
According to Indian Express, the animal rights organisation added the elephant model which is fitted with five powerful electric motors, will help the temple conduct rituals “safely and cruelty-free.” Thus, it will support the call for the rehabilitation of caged elephants.
The mechanical elephant can carry five persons at once and the operator can use a switch to control the trunk.
The outlet quoted temple priest Rajkumar Namboothiri as saying that they were happy to receive the mechanical elephant and hoped that other temples would also think about replacing elephants with robotic ones for the rituals.
He added that the temple used to hire elephants for the festivals in the past but they stopped the practice due to the high cost of getting a “pachyderm and the growing incidents of elephants turning violent during festivals.”
Thus, they approached the artists and asked them to make a robotic one.
At that time, PETA India stepped in with sponsorship.
Elephants – an integral part of temple festivals
Elephants play a significant role during temple rituals in Kerala.
During festivals, temple authorities compete with one another to rent imposing elephants that come with a high price tag, especially those in Thrissur and Palakkad, according to Indian Express.
These elephants are even popular that some of them even have massive following on social media platforms. Many of them even have dedicated WhatsApp groups.
Animal rights advocates have been quite vocal about the harsh treatment of these elephants during rituals and other religious events.
With inputs from agencies
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