Meet Mahadevan, India’s first life-size robotic Elephant at this Kerala temple

Meet Mahadevan, India’s first life-size robotic Elephant at this Kerala temple

Mangalore Today News Network

Kerala, March 10, 2025: Robots are increasingly becoming integrated into daily life, reshaping industries and workflows by automating tasks and enhancing efficiency. Now, in a breakthrough in Kerala, temples have introduced the first-ever robotic elephant to conduct ceremonies in a safe and cruelty-free manner, helping real elephants stay with their families in the jungle. These mechanical elephants, which are 3 meters tall and weigh 800 kilograms, are made with rubber, fibre, metal, mesh, foam and steel.

Running on five motors, a mechanical elephant looks, feels and can be used like a real elephant. It can shake its head, lift its trunk, move its ears and eyes, swish its tail and even spray water. These mechanical elephants are used during many Hindu temple ceremonies, paraded through packed crowds with flashing lights, thumping drums and ear-splitting music.

Not just this, they can be climbed upon and a seat can be affixed on the back. The mechanical elephants can be operated simply by plugging and playing with electricity and taken through the streets. They are mounted on a wheelbase, letting them be moved and pushed around for processions and rituals.

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Campaigners from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India say that more than 2,700 captive elephants in the country often face ‘severe physical and psychological stress.’ Despite being herd animals, the gentle giants are often kept alone and chained up for much of the day.

Speaking about the same, CG Prakash, a former official at the popular Chakkamparambu Bhagavathy temple in Kerala, said, “It is a wild animal, it likes to live in jungles. We are capturing it and torturing it. It’s unethical," reported AFP.

Prakash was involved in bringing the robot elephant to the temple. These mechanical elephants were donated by the Voice for Asian Elephants Society, which said it would help ‘cruelty-free temple traditions.’

Elephants are extremely clever, gregarious and active wild animals. But in captivity, they are trained to be used in processions by forcibly controlling them into obedience, including beatings and the use of weapons to cause suffering. Under these hellish conditions, many giants become intensely frustrated and lash out, often killing humans or mahouts. As per the Heritage Animal Task Force, captive elephants killed 526 people in Kerala in 15 years.

To solve these problems, PETA India kindled the sympathetic movement of replacing live elephants for events at the beginning of 2023. Now, at least 13 mechanical elephants are used in temples across south India, of which PETA India was involved with donating eight such life-size mechanical elephants to temples in Karnataka and Kerala in recognition of temples’ decisions to never own or hire live elephants.