Kerala temple ceremony turns violent: Elephants engaged in confrontation during Arat ritual | watch video

Two elephants got into a violent altercation at the Aarattupuzha temple on Friday, frightening the spectators. The event happened in Kerala. Both elephants got into a tusk-fight, which terrified everyone in the room and raised the possibility of a disaster at the occasion. Fortunately, members of the elephant squad showed up and intervened to keep the fight between the two elephants apart, preventing any injuries.

ആറാട്ടുപുഴ പൂരത്തിനിടെ ആനകൾ തമ്മിൽ കൊമ്പുകോർത്തു pic.twitter.com/rExJ8Bdd2G

— Samakalika Malayalam (@samakalikam) March 23, 2024

Almost a massace in name of ritual! 

Popular Video Displays Severe Assault  A religious gathering for the arat ceremony is taking place at the Aarattupuzha temple, as shown in the widely shared video on X by Samakalika Malayalam. The elephants are exquisitely decorated with gold. One elephant suddenly begins to circle around himself, and a few moments later, he charges at another nearby elephant.

Clash of Tuskers

The other tusker skids back a little due to the force of his attack. The elephant then pushes the other one farther behind as he carries out his attack. The crowd disperses in an attempt to escape being squashed between the two animals as a result of this violent battle, which causes panic among onlookers.

But when a group of elephant squad members show up, they take matters into their own hands and manage to tame the ferocious tuskers. The crowd was left in utter pandemonium and terror as the elephants abruptly lost their clutches and fled the scene.

What really happened?

Local sources state that the event happened yesterday night at around 10:30 PM during the Aarattupuzha temple's arat ceremonial procession. The main elephant in the temple procession, Guruvayur Ravikrishnan, took part in the altercation. Ravikrishnan attempted to charge and wrestle with another temple elephant named Sri Kumaran, but the situation was miraculously brought under control without any injuries.
The two elephants fighting seemed to worry the onlookers at first. Many were afraid for their safety as the angry animals charged each other. But the prompt action of the elephant squad members stopped the situation from getting worse.

Bringing elephants under control

After the altercation, the elephants fled from one another. The workers at the temple tried everything to tame the elephants, but they refused to cooperate. But the members of the elephant squad were able to safely contain the elephants, protecting the guests and averting any more mishaps.