Some Kerala Temples Adopt Robotic Elephants for Festivals While Others Retain Live Animals

Robotic elephants constructed from fiberglass, iron and rubber now stand in for live animals at some temple festivals in India's Kerala state. The devices have ears that flap, tails that swish and trunks that squirt water, with electric motors powering the head and eyeballs. PETA and other nonprofits have donated about 40 of the units to Indian temples.

Each costs about $6,000. Mechanical engineer Prasanth Prakashan built the first robotic elephant installed at the Irinjadapilly Sree Krishna Temple in 2023. Kerala temple festivals have historically featured live elephants in processions and rituals.

The Thrissur Vadakkunnathan temple's annual Pooram festival has featured about 100 live elephants. The Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple houses nearly 50. Nearly 400 elephants remain captive in Kerala out of about 2,500 across India, a total that has fallen by half since 2010.

Nine people died in 2024 from elephant rampages at Kerala temple festivals. K.I. Purushottaman, president of the Cheekamundi Sri Mahavishnu Temple, said the robotic version removed the fear of a fatal attack.

U.K. Mahesh, who rents out his elephant for about 45 days a year, said he views the animals as sacred and questioned the purpose of a robotic substitute in a temple. P.S. Easa, who helped draft Kerala's captive elephant regulations, noted that religious tourism generates significant revenue from the animals.

Prasanth Prakashan said the full process of mold making and animation now takes about 15 days. He added that his machines cannot walk yet but that he is working on the capability.