Elephants are revered across India and many religions as manifestations of the divine, and they’re often used in many temple rituals and festivals. Now, robotic elephants made from fiberglass, iron, and rubber are taking the place of live ones in temples around the world as an effort to further protect the species.
Elephants are highly revered and honored across India and many religions as manifestations of the divine, and a representation of wisdom, strength, and prosperity. The animals are often used in many temple rituals and festivals, and during so are celebrated like superstars. However, animal activists have always been weary of how these endangered animals are treated and cared for in these settings.
Now, animal welfare group PETA, nonprofit organizations, and activists are implementing a futuristic solution: robot elephants. The life-size robotic replicas are made of fiberglass, iron, and rubber and have ears that flap, tails that swish, and trunks that can squirt water. The robots have already begun taking the place of live elephants in Hindu temples.
The ongoing project comes from Prasanth Prakashan and his backyard workshop. PETA and other nonprofits have donated about 40 of the robotic elephants to Indian temples, and each model costs around $6,000.
The robotic elephants are also much lighter than the real mammals, and electric motors allow them to move their heads and eyeballs. The body parts are also pliable and painted to make them look as life-like as possible.
Prakashan’s creations are truly a wonder. With a mechanical engineering degree, he was able to make his detailed and realistic designs, although he does know that his robots are far from the real thing. He also pointed out that while his elephants can’t walk yet, he’s working very hard on it and is optimistic about his future designs.
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Elephants are honored and worshiped in multiple religions and regions of the world. For example, Buddhists believe that elephants symbolize patience, wisdom, and enlightenment. In a celebration in Kandy, Sri Lanka, 100 decorated elephants parade through the streets with the largest one carrying the Buddha’s tooth relic in a golden casket.
In Kerala, there are multiple festivals that involve live elephants as well, and they’re the main attraction. The Thrissur Vadakkunnathan temple’s annual Pooram parade has about 100 elephants that are dressed in gold headgear and colorful silks. The elephants are walked through the streets by handlers who fan them with peacock feathers and yak-hair whisks.
The Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple houses about 50 elephants. The temple also holds an annual elephant race and feeding ritual after prayers. The animals are given rice, ghee, jaggery, fruits, and vegetables.
Also in Kerala, St. George Orthodox Syrian Church in Kinnamkulam and the Pattambi Mosque in Palakkad district routinely feature elephant parades during their festivals, AP reports.
Andrea Gutierrez, a University of Texas professor who researched captive elephants throughout South Asia, stated that Kerala’s temple elephants are male, which is an issue because adult males go through musth. Musth is a periodic condition that heightens the elephants aggression through a large surge of testosterone – up to 60 times their normal levels.
“People want these huge impressive tusks, which almost feels like a military presence,” Gutierrez said.
While India does have tighter restrictions when it comes to owning and maintaining elephants, about 400 animals are still captive in Kerala out of 2,500 across the continent.
Khushboo Gupta, the vice president of policy at PETA India, stated that the “aesthetic appeal” of live elephants doesn’t justify the “shackling, beating, and separating from their families.” When elephants are stressed, they can become even more aggressive, Gupta explained.
“These elephants are forced to stand there for hours in the heat, with large crowds, drums and fireworks. Any trigger could cause them to go on a rampage.”
Prakashan has a history of building animatronics for malls, parks, and carnivals. PETA got wind of his creations in 2023 after a viral video was shared of his robotic elephants at a festival in Dubai. Gupta contacted him and another Kochi-based artist who makes elephant sculptures, Sooraj Nambiat. He wanted to pair to make robotic elephants for temples, and immediately the demand was apparent.
Prakashan’s first model was encased in rubber before moving on to fiberglass molds which were more durable. Rubber is still involved in the process for movement, with artists shaping the material to give the final product details like wrinkly skin and veins in their ears.
From start to finish, the entire process for making the mold and animating the elephant robots takes Prakashan and his crew around 15 days. “It was something we had to figure out on our own,” he explained.
Irinjadapilly Raman is the name of Prakashan’s first robotic elephant in this project. It went to Irinjadapilly Sree Krishna Temple in 2023. The temple’s head priest, Rajkumar Namboothiri, recalled a touching moment in which two children played, laughed, and hugged the elephant’s trunk, pointing out that the kids would “never be able to approach a live elephant so freely.”
The head priest also hailed the robot elephant project because he said the tantric texts, which lay out the rules for daily rituals in Kerala temples, don’t require live elephants, and believes that practice started when elephants were a part of kings’ cavalries and palaces a few centuries ago.
“They [the elephants] had trees and forests before. Now, we have concrete jungles, heat, and noise. Elephants are tortured and abused. It’s not right.”
“The animals were also chosen as vehicles for deities during processions because of their height. But, that could be accomplished with portable palanquins and chariots,” Namboothiri said.
A temple devotee, P.C. Subhash, is in support of both using live elephants and robot ones, depending on the specific temple and conditions/facilities available to care for the animals. He said he says live elephants can be used in larger temples but robotic ones are more understandable for smaller ones.
“I really hope more people come to accept them,” he said.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
