Cricketer KL Rahul and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India have donated a life-size mechanical elephant, Padmanabhapuram Padmanabhan, to Sree Padmanabhapuram Mahavishnu Kheeram near Guruvayur in Thrissur district. On the occasion of Sree Krishna Jayanti, Sai Sanjeevani Trust’s President Pujya Mouna Yogi Swami Hari Narayanan unveiled Padmanabhapuram Padmanabhan, which will be used to conduct ceremonies at the temple in a safe and cruelty-free manner, helping real elephants stay with their families in the jungle. The initiative was facilitated by PETA India in recognition of the temple’s decision to never own or hire live elephants. This new mechanical elephant, Padmanabhapuram Padmanabhan, is a landmark thirteenth robot donated to temples by PETA India and the eighth in Kerala. The mechanical elephant was welcomed through an inauguration ceremony, and the temple hosted a Panchavadyam performance.
KL Rahul is outspoken about his passion for animals. The animal protection advocate and cricket champion says, “By embracing mechanical elephants in temples, we honour both spiritual duties and elephants. These engineering marvels allow us to truly worship the Earthly representatives of Lord Ganesha, elephants, by letting them live in peace in their jungle homes.” Rahul added, “Mechanical elephants show devotion, innovation, and compassion coexist.”
The president of Kshetra Bharana Samithi, Brahmasree M.N. Narayanan Namboothiri, says, “We are incredibly happy to welcome mechanical elephant Padmanabhapuram Padmanabhan to our temple in respect of all the sacred beings created by the divine who, like us, want to roam free and live safely with their families.” He continued, “Given the recent horrific incidents involving captive elephant attacks during festivals in Kerala, we request other temples to consider mechanical elephant technology for the safety of the devotees and real elephants.”
Elephants are intelligent, active, and gregarious wild animals. In captivity, they are trained to be used in processions through beatings, the use of weapons and force. Most elephants held captive in temples and other places suffer from excruciating foot problems and leg wounds due to chaining to concrete for hours on end. Most are denied adequate food, water, veterinary care, and any semblance of a natural life. Under these hellish conditions, many elephants become intensely frustrated and lash out, sometimes killing mahouts or other humans or animals. According to figures compiled by the Heritage Animal Task Force, captive elephants killed 526 people in Kerala in a 15-year period. Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran, who has been in captivity for about 40 years and is one of the most often used elephants in Kerala’s festival circuit, has reportedly killed 13 individuals – six mahouts, four women, and three elephants.
In 2025, at least twenty captive elephants in Kerala had become upset and killed seven people on different occasions, injuring several others, or damaged property. It is also pertinent to note that in 2024, at least fourteen incidents across India in which captive elephants harmed or killed their mahouts or others around them were reported. In June 2025, elephants ran amok during the Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad. And recently, another elephant attacked and killed his mahout and severely injured another mahout at the Haripad Sree Subrahmanya Swamy temple near Alappuzha in Kerala.
PETA India ignited the sympathetic movement to replace live elephants in temples at the beginning of 2023. Now, at least twenty mechanical elephants are used in temples across South India. PETA India has donated thirteen to recognise the temples’ decisions to never own or hire live elephants. These mechanical elephants are now used to conduct ceremonies at their temples in a safe and cruelty-free manner, helping real elephants stay with their families in the jungle.
Mechanical elephants are 3-meter-tall and weigh 800 kilograms. They are made with rubber, fibre, metal, mesh, foam, and steel and run on five motors. A mechanical elephant looks, feels, and can be used like a real elephant. It can shake its head, move its ears and eyes, swish its tail, lift its trunk, and even spray water. They can be climbed upon, and a seat can be affixed on the back. They can be operated simply by plugging and playing with electricity. They can be taken through the streets and are mounted on a wheelbase, allowing them to be moved and pushed around for rituals and processions.
Sree Padmanabhapuram Mahavishnu Kheeram is an ancient temple renowned for the annual festival commemorating the god Mahavishnu’s birth. Thousands of devotees attend this festival. Sree Padmanabhapuram Mahavishnu Kheeram is the first temple in the Guruvayur region to have a mechanical elephant. Padmanabhapuram Padmanabhan is the eighth mechanical elephant donated by PETA India to a temple in Kerala.
