Actor Bhumi Satish Pednekkar and PETA India Gift Life-Size Mechanical Elephant to Kerala’s Sree Subramania Kshetra Yogam

For Immediate Release:

09 January 2026

Contact:

Sanskriti Bansore; [email protected]

Anushka Yadav; [email protected]

Kochi – Renowned 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 Subramania Kshetra Yogam in Kerala’s Thrissur district. Today, Sri Sivaswamy, Managing Director of KMD Group unveiled Cherukunnu Karthikeyan in the presence of President of the temple, Sri Sethumadhavan T C, Kshetram Thantri Sri Vijayan Karumathra, Kshetram Melsanthi Sri Sivaprasada, temple Secretary Sri Bobish V V. and temple devotees with support from Thrissur District President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Sri A R Sreekumar. It will be used to conduct ceremonies at the temple in a safe and cruelty-free manner, helping real elephants stay with their families in their jungle homes.

The initiative was facilitated by PETA India in recognition of the temple’s compassionate decision to never own or hire live elephants. This mechanical elephant, Cherukunnu Karthikeyan, is a landmark eighteenth robot donated to temples in India by PETA India. The mechanical elephant was welcomed through an inauguration ceremony, and a Melam performance.

Photos and video of the inaugural launch are available upon request.

Actor Bhumi Satish Pednekkar says, “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 Kshetra Yogam 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.”

Sri Sivaswamy, Managing Director of KMD Group said, “Mechanical elephants are excellent as they save animals, are safe for people and cost-effective. I am very happy to be here today and join this initiative by Actor Bhumi Satish Pednekkar and PETA India.”

The President of the temple, Sri 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.”

Elephants are intelligent, active, and gregarious wild animals. In captivity, they are trained to be used in processions through beatings, the use of weapons and force. Most elephants held captive in temples and other places suffer from excruciating foot problems and leg wounds due to chaining to concrete for hours on end. Most are denied adequate food, water, veterinary care, and any semblance of a natural life. Under these hellish conditions, many elephants become intensely frustrated and lash out, sometimes killing mahouts or other humans or animals. According to figures compiled by the Heritage Animal Task Force, captive elephants killed 526 people in Kerala in a 15-year period. Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran, who has been in captivity for about 40 years and is one of the most often used elephants in Kerala’s festival circuit, has reportedly killed 13 individuals – six mahouts, four women, and three elephants.

Mechanical elephants are 3-meter-tall and weigh 500 kilograms. They are made with rubber, fibre, metal, mesh, foam, and steel and run on five motors. A mechanical elephant looks, feels, and can be used like a real elephant. It can shake its head, move its ears and eyes, swish its tail, lift its trunk, and even spray water. They can be climbed upon, and a seat can be affixed on the back. They can be operated simply by plugging and playing with electricity. They can be taken through the streets and are mounted on a wheelbase, allowing them to be moved and pushed around for rituals and processions.

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

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