Robotic elephants draw crowds and controversy in some of India’s Hindu temples
Temples and animal-welfare donors say the animatronic animals cost about $6,000 each and can reduce deadly festival risks.
- Temples across Kerala are adopting robotic elephants to replace live animals during religious festivals, with PETA and other non-profits donating about 40 animatrons costing about $6,000 each.
- Stressed temple elephants can become deadly; nine people died in 2024 from rampages at Kerala festivals, prompting animal welfare advocates to seek alternatives.
- Mechanical engineer Prasanth Prakashan builds these life-size animatrons in about 15 days, with his first creation, Irinjadapilly Raman, debuting at the Irinjadapilly Sree Krishna Temple in 2023.
- Cheekamundi Sri Mahavishnu Temple President K.I. Purushottaman embraces the shift to eliminate fear, stating, "With a robotic elephant, we don't have that fear" regarding fatal attacks.
- Wildlife biologist P.S. Easa cautions that "You cannot change centuries-old tradition anytime soon," though mechanical engineer Prakashan continues refining animatrons to capture the majestic animal's essence.
26 Articles
26 Articles
In some Indian temples, robotic elephants draw crowds and controversy
The life-size robotic elephants in Prasanth Prakashan’s backyard workshop have ears that flap, tails that swish and trunks that squirt water. But that’s about all they have in common with their real-life counterparts revered across India as manifestations of the divine. The animatrons, crafted from fibreglass, iron and rubber, are intended to take the place of live elephants in Hindu temples. The change pleases animal welfare activists but upset…
Associated Press News
Robotic elephants draw crowds and controversy in some of India's Hindu temples
In India's southern state of Kerala, robotic elephants are replacing live ones in temple festivals. Rising concerns about elephant abuse and dangerous incidents have led to this change.
In Hindu temples in the southern Indian state of Kerala, animal defenders, together with charitable foundations, have introduced about 40 full-scale robotic elephants to participate in religious festivals; mechanical copies are intended to replace living animals that are traditionally used during holiday processes, reported ABC News. PETA India and other activists supply robot temples at a cost of about $6,000 per unit. Mechanical elephants are …
AGI - In Chalakudy, a city in southern India, robot elephants are replacing those living in Hindu rituals and festivals because of concerns about animal abuse and the tragedies caused by the fleeing elephants, often pissed off by fear. But the more traditionalist faithful are opposed to change, emphasizing the sacredness of the elephants that are associated with the divinity Ganesha, symbol of wisdom and prosperity. The new animatrons, who thron…
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