This is an archive article published on March 18, 2024

PETA, actor Priyamani donate mechanical elephant to Kerala temple

The mechanical elephant, named Mahadevan, will be used to conduct ceremonies at the temple in a safe and cruelty-free manner, PETA said in a release on Sunday.

Kochi: 'Nadayiruthal' of Mahadevan, a realistic mechanical elephant, gifted to Kochi's Thrikkayil Mahadeva temple by PETA India, in Kochi, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (PTI Photo)

By: PTI

2 min readKochiMar 18, 2024 12:59 PM IST First published on: Mar 18, 2024 at 12:59 PM IST

The non profit organization People for Ethical Treatment of Animals India along with actor Priyamani donated a life-size mechanical elephant to the Thrikkayil Mahadeva Temple in Kochi following the temple’s decision to never own or hire live elephants.

The mechanical elephant, named Mahadevan, will be used to conduct ceremonies at the temple in a safe and cruelty-free manner, PETA said in a release on Sunday. This is the second such elephant being introduced in Kerala.

An inaugural ceremony was held on Sunday at the temple followed by a chenda melam performance by Master Vedharth Raman and his band and a panchavadyam by Venu Marrar and his band, the release said.

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