Kerala Temple Introduces A Life-Sized Robotic Elephant For Performing Rituals. Watch

Irinjadapilly Raman, the famous mechanical elephant, is 10-and-a-half feet tall and weighs 800 kilograms.

New Delhi: A temple in Kerala dedicated a life-like mechanical elephant to the deity on Sunday instead of a real pachyderm for daily rituals for the first time in the state. Irinjadapilly Raman, the famous mechanical elephant, is 10-and-a-half feet tall and weighs 800 kilograms. It can hold about four people. Electricity powers the elephant's head, eyes, mouth, ears, and tail.

In collaboration with award-winning actor Parvathy Thiruvothu, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India held the "Nadayiruthal" ceremony of "Irinjadappilly Raman," a robotic elephant, at the district's Irinjadappilly Sree Krishna Temple.

According to PETA, Raman will support the rehabilitation of real elephants, their lives in forests, and the end of their agony in captivity by assisting in the safe and cruelty-free conduct of ceremonies at the temple.

"An inaugural ceremony held today was followed by a performance by the percussion ensemble led by Peruvanam Satheesan Marar. Subjecting live elephants to the extreme loudness of the timpani is cruel, as it is damaging and distressing for live elephants," PETA said in a release, reported PTI.

According to Thiruvothu, we can now comprehend the suffering that animals go through when humans use them for entertainment.

According to the release, she was quoted as saying, "It's high time we made stronger and more impactful strides towards stopping such abuse and letting animals have respectful and dignified lives... I am delighted to support PETA India in helping Sree Krishna Temple worshippers experience the joy and sanctity of religious functions in an exciting, modern, and conscientious manner."

Rajkumar Namboothiri, the temple's head priest, said they were "extremely happy and grateful" to receive the mechanical elephant, which will help them conduct festivals and rituals without using animals. He also said he hoped that other shrines would think about using mechanical elephants instead of live elephants.

However, the Irinjadappilly Sri Krishna Temple's administration hopes that other temples will also use live elephants for rituals.