Jumbo hustle: the transfer of elephants to Tamil Nadu’s temples

In temples, elephants may be used in rituals, processions and festival-related functions. They may stand near the sanctum or participate in ceremonial occasions, and are often expected to interact with devotees. Some are also taken out for public appearances. Representational file image. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath

Nothing illustrates more poignantly the exalted status once enjoyed by temple elephants, and their subsequent fall, than the story of Kesavan — the elephant of the Adi Kesava Perumal Temple at Kanniyakumari’s Thiruvattar — who is the protagonist of writer Jeyamohan’s Mathagam.

A favourite of the King, even when he was a prince, Kesavan developed a sense of his own exceptional status. Even his chief mahout was afraid to command him. The mahout’s emaciated leg, a result of Kesavan’s fury, bears testimony to what the elephant was capable of. But the day the King died, Kesavan was reduced to the status of just another animal, a slave to humans. The elephant, which once commanded fear and deference, would now meekly extend its leg to help the mahout climb on to its back.

Published - November 08, 2026 05:44 am IST