Chaos at Kerala Temple: Elephant Flings 26-Year-Old Into the Air

New Delhi, February 27, 2026 — A moment of spiritual celebration turned into a scene of pure terror on Thursday morning at the Annamanada Mahadeva Temple. During the annual Valiya Vilakku festival, a captive tusker suddenly turned violent, grabbing a 26-year-old man and flinging him several feet into the air.

The horrifying incident, captured on a mobile phone and now viral across social media, has once again reignited the fierce national debate over the use of elephants in temple rituals.

The Incident: A Sudden Turn of Events

The victim, identified as Vivek, a resident of Mambra and an assistant to the mahout, was performing a routine task just before the attack. Around 9:00 AM, as preparations were being made for the Sheeveli procession, Vivek was holding a decorative idol (kolam) to be placed atop the elephant.

Witnesses say the tusker, named Akkikkavu Karthikeyan, appeared calm until the moment Vivek approached. Without warning, the animal lunged forward, wrapped its trunk around Vivek’s legs, and hoisted him off the ground before forcefully throwing him aside.

“It happened in the blink of an eye. One moment we were waiting for the percussion performance to start, and the next, there was a man flying through the air,” said one devotee who witnessed the chaos.

Medical Status and Immediate Response

Following the attack, the festival was temporarily suspended. Vivek was immediately rushed to Apollo Adlux Hospital in Angamaly. Doctors report that he sustained serious injuries to his face and a fractured arm. While his condition was initially critical, latest updates from family members suggest he is stable and scheduled for surgery.

Temple authorities and the local “elephant squad” acted quickly to confine the tusker within the temple premises, preventing a full-scale stampede among the hundreds of devotees gathered.

Renewed Safety Concerns

This incident is the latest in a string of elephant-related accidents in Kerala, a state where the animals are deeply woven into the cultural and religious fabric. Experts and animal rights activists are pointing to several factors that may have triggered the animal’s aggression:

• Physical Stress: Reports from the Heritage Animal Task Force (HATF) suggest the elephant may have been overworked or deprived of adequate sleep during the festival season.
• Crowd Noise: High-decibel percussion (Panchari Melam) and large, cheering crowds are known stressors for captive pachyderms.
• Safety Violations: Activists claim that the mandatory six-meter gap between the animal and the public is frequently ignored during these ceremonies.

A Growing Debate

While many traditionalists argue that elephants are an inseparable part of Kerala’s heritage, animal welfare organizations are calling for stricter regulations—or a total transition to robotic elephants, several of which have already been introduced in other temples across the state.

Local police and the Forest Department have launched an investigation into whether the festival organizers followed the established safety protocols for parading captive elephants.