Temple elephant throws priest off its back, tries to escape into forest

Temple elephant throws priest off its back, tries to escape into forest

 Story by Sumesh RajanMumbai: April 5, 2018

The injured priest 

The incident took place on March 30 during the ‘Arattu’ (holy bath) ceremony wherein the thidambu – a miniature version of the idol of Lord Ayyappa, the presiding deity of Sabarimala shrine – was being carried by the 29-year-old priest named Veenith on the caparisoned tusker from the Sannidhanam (temple complex) in the hill to the river Pamba which is about 7 kilometres downhill.

The heavily chained tusker was being guided by its 39-year-old mahout named Krishna Kumar.

In a video shot by one of the devotees taking part in the ceremony, the tusker can be seen being led slowly on the concrete steps going downhill and the devotees shouting sarana gosham (invocations to Lord Ayyappa). After going down a few steps, suddenly out of the blue, the tusker makes a run for its freedom, and in the process shakes off the priest sitting atop it. In the chaos that followed, 12 people were injured.

The seriously injured priest was rushed to the Government Medical College in nearby Kottayam city, while the others with minor injuries were attended to at a hospital at Pathanamthitta town.

Other mahouts ran behind the elephant and brought it control.

This incident has once again raised questions about the treatment of captive elephants in India, especially the temple elephants of Kerala.

“Elephants in captivity are being exploited for profit in tourism and in festivals under the guise of religion. Many are forced to stand still for hours on end to bless devotees. It is not in the nature of elephants to be immobile. In their natural habitats in the jungles they continuously walk on foraging for food, but in captivity they are chained and kept immobile which frustrates them and makes them run amok,” says wildlife activist Suparna Ganguly who is the Co-founder Trustee of Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA) and Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC), Bengaluru.

She further added, “These tuskers are forced to walk in blistering heat on hot tar roads, stand at one place continuously thereby causing pain to their legs. The captive elephants also get agitated by loud noise like bursting crackers and confined space. Moreover, they are paraded even during their musth -- an annual cycle when the male elephants are in their peak mating season, characterized by highly aggressive behavior. Unable to withstand the heat and pain, elephants run amok.”