Actor Bhumi Pednekkar, PETA gift mechanical elephant to Thrissur temple

Actor Bhumi Satish Pednekkar and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) have donated a life-size mechanical elephant, Cherukunnu Karthikeyan, to Sree Balasubramanya Swamy Temple, Cherukunnu, in Thrissur district.

It will be used to conduct ceremonies at the temple. The donation was facilitated by PETA India in recognition of the temple’s compassionate decision to never own or hire elephants.

Cherukunnu Karthikeyan is the eighteenth such mechanical elephant donated to temples in India by PETA India.

“I’ve always believed that every living being—each creation of God—deserves freedom, love, and care. The arrival of the mechanical elephant Cherukunnu Karthikeyan at the Subramania Temple beautifully shows how tradition and technology can unite with compassion, allowing real elephants to live freely in their natural homes, just as they were meant to,” Ms. Pednekkar said.

President of the temple committee, Sethumadhavan T.C., said, “We are grateful to receive Cherukunnu Karthikeyan, the mechanical elephant, as a sacred addition to our temple. This meaningful gift will enable us to honour our rituals while ensuring compassion for animals. By welcoming this innovation, we will be able to conduct our rituals in a manner that is safe for devotees and animals.”

The 3-metre-tall mechanical elephant weighs 500 kilograms, and is made of rubber, fibre, metal, mesh, foam, and steel and works on five motors.