NEW DELHI: Thousands of people gathered in Thrissur in Kerala on Sunday to witness the grand opening of the famed Thrissur Pooram, considered as the mother of all temple festivals. 'Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran', the controversial elephant which was earlier denied permission to take part in the festivities by the authorities on health grounds, 'opened' the annual festival at the ancient Vadakkumnathan temple.

Ramachandran was given the conditional nod on Saturday to participate in the Thrissur pooram after the animal cleared the fitness test. The clearance to the government was given after a team of three veterinarians conducted the medical examination of the 54-year-old elephant. However, the tusker was called back in an hour as directed by Thrissur District Cllector T.V. Anupama, leaving the visitors disappointed.

Thrissur Pooram is billed as the mother of all festivals in the state and the history of Pooram dates back to the late 18th century. It was started by Sakthan Thampuran, the Maharaja of the erstwhile Kochi state.

The most keenly-watched event during the festival is the parading of more than 50 elephants and crackers display, that will take place on Monday afternoon and continue till the wee hours on Tuesday.

1: Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran is a celebrity elephant owned by Thechikottukavu devasom, a temple in Kerala.

2: 54-year-old Ramachandran is the tallest captive elephant in India.

3: The jumbo is also partially blind the right eye.

4: Ramachandran is branded as a dangerous tusker and ran amok several times. It killed at least 13 people so far and two elephants.

5: Since 2014, the elephant has been been performing the ritual and has a big fan following in the state. However, after two persons were killed by the pachyderm during a house-warming celebration in Guruvayur in February this year, the district administration had imposed a ban on its participation in festivals.

(With inputs from agencies)