080. The Elephantine Injustice In Kerala Temples. P. S. Remesh Chandran

080
 
The Elephantine Injustice In Kerala Temples. P. S. Remesh Chandran

Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum
  01. Article Title 1 Image & Graphics By Adobe SP.

THE ELEPHANTINE INJUSTICE IN KERALA TEMPLES
 

This article is the third part of the book ‘Is Reformation Over For Hinduism?’ by P. S. Remesh Chandran published by Amazon. The other parts are 1. The Degenerating Kerala Temples, 2. The Loudspeaker Criminality, 4. The Fireworks Fiasco and 5. Is Reformation Over For Hinduism? They expose the farce going on in Kerala temples in the name of religion. The original title for this series was ‘Mad Things Happening In The Name Of Religion’. 

Long hours in heat and dust on tarred roads, ear-piercing noise from multi drums, and hundreds of loud speakers.
 

The use of elephants in temple processions in connection with religious festivals has long been a controversy in Kerala. Inhuman treatment of these animals, subjecting them to long hours in the heat and dust on tarred roads and ear-piercing noise from multi drum sets and hundreds of loud speakers- all in sharp contrast to the silence and coolness of their natural habitats- turn them mad and angry, killing mahouts and turning against people and destroying trees, buildings and vehicles in their path. Animal Protection Organizations like the S. P. C. A., District Collectors and the Government are silent watchers to this cruel spectacle of abuse of animals going on in temples in the name of religion. 

The India Today Magazine in their article ‘Elephant turn violent in festival in Kerala, 48 killed’ in their 23 April, 2007 issue described how ‘tusker parades in Kerala temples ended up in blood and gore and death, elephants turned wild running amok and killed mahouts and bystanders and terrorized towns and villages, resulting in 10 tuskers killing 48 mahouts in 2007 alone’. According to the statistics they compiled, where 100 people were killed from pachyderm attacks during the 25 years from 1970-1995, the kill rate rose to 200 during the ten years from 1996 to 2015. They also revealed that where 10 elephants died each year in Kerala during the 1990s, 147 elephants died in Kerala in 2016 alone.

News Link: https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/states/kerala/story/20070423-elephant-went-fury-and-killing-many-during-kerela-festival2007-748783-2007-04-23

700 elephants to cater to 10,000 temple processions.
 
02. Elephants Crossing Man's Civilization By Sabarinath JP.
 

Religious texts nowhere say a word insisting on the use of wild animals during temple rituals. There is no historical evidence to prove that using elephants in temple processions is a deep-rooted religious cultural practice in Kerala. And Kerala is the only state in India where elephants are extensively used for temple processions. Private elephant owners want to rent their elephants year-round and temple committees want to assemble huge audiences for making money. There are only around 700 elephants in temples and in private homes in Kerala but there are more than 10,000 temple festival processions. So anyone can guess the workload the elephants in Kerala are having during festival seasons. ‘Noisy long parades, loud firecrackers, loudspeakers, forced to standing near flames, long travels in open shabby vehicles and on tarred roads in the scorching sun for hours, denial of food, water and sleep, in addition to hobbling with spike chains on legs and brutal treatment by drunken mahouts- all in the name of religion and tourism- are what captured elephants undergo in Kerala temples. ‘Most of them die in their prime years of 20 to 40 years of age due to physiological and psychological stress.’

 
Indifferent attitude of government political, for keeping sections of Hindu community as solid vote banks.
   
03. Bathing Elephant At Vazhappalli Temple By Rajesh Unuppally.
 

But government remains silent about this persecution of wild animals in processions by temple committees, fearing governmental intervention will be misconstrued as intrusion into religious beliefs. The passive outlook and indifferent attitude adopted by government towards this aggressive cruelty by the rich masochists, sadists and brutes in temple committees have nothing to do with religion; it is purely political- appeasing aggressive sections of the Hindu community for keeping them as solid vote banks. The vulgar elements in government do not wish to antagonize the vulgar political elements in temple committees and tacitly allows them to collect as much money as possible by attracting as many people as possible by parading as many elephants as are there. Result: elephants turning violent in temple processions and maiming people continue unchecked, remaining a shame to Kerala.

 
Elephants first introduced in temple processions when there were no loudspeakers, electricity, fireworks.
 
04. Miles' Long Walks On Hot Tarred Roads By Manoj K .
 

Elephants were made part of temple processions only a few decades ago in Kerala. In those times they were not marched through hot tarred roads for miles in connection with temple processions because there were no tarred roads then, and what roads there were then were lined on both sides by shade-giving trees. People were not as indifferent to kindness to animals as they are now, especially elephant owners and mahouts, who cared for their animals and gave them lavish rest and plenty of refreshments on the way. People participating in temple processions did not disturb or provoke elephants by behaving unruly and uproarious for fear of breaking propriety in front of their lords and landlords who were always present. There were no loudspeakers, electric lights or fireworks to add to the animal’s irritation. The emergence of tarred roads, disappearance of roadside trees, introduction of arc and spot lights, loudspeakers, drum sets and fireworks and change in human behaviour from kindness and discipline to unruliness and uproar changed the picture. Now it is like challenging the elephant not to go mad. Now there is no more any justification for using elephants in temple processions. The elephants do not enjoy these unnatural and cruel additions to their environment; they only tolerate them, and there is a limit to their tolerance and endurance. You read these things not in some government literature issued in an order banning the use of elephants in temple processions, but in an article written by a private citizen here. Had it been the former, there would have been no need for the latter.

Suppress Masth by raising elephant’s body temperature through denial of water, starvation and sedative administration.

The most dreaded period in an elephant’s life is the three months during which the bull elephant undergoes Masth, a metabolic phenomenon when its testosterone levels go up making its behaviour aggressive and erratic- a period most dreadful to cow elephants and the bull’s keepers also when it has to be restrained and absolutely rested with great supplies of food and water. But money-hungry new generation owners suppress Masth from the knowledge of public for the 50,000 Rupees the beast would bring each day from parading in temple processions for which they raise its body temperature through denial of water, starvation and sedative administration. So, most often, it is a dehydrated, hungry and sedated animal that takes part in a temple procession in the midst of intense light, sound and people’s uproar: hence most of the elephant attacks and human deaths! Temples and government know this but remain impassive. 

Will you piss and defecate in a temple? If you do, you will be in serious trouble and in chains within a matter of minutes. But what if an elephant does that? That is why it is stipulated that nothing which cannot control its actions voluntarily are not allowed inside temples. To avoid the beasts from relieving themselves inside temples, those who bring elephants to temple functions do not feed and water them for hours before they are brought to temples. Isn’t it another cruelty to animals? 

 
No register, doctor, mahout, and no intimation of parade to police and forest officials.

05. Article Title 2 Image & Graphics By Adobe SP.
 

Temple authorities do not keep the five compulsory Registers of Feeding, Work, Movement, Vaccination and Treatment. They do not have Veterinary Doctors, enough mahouts or enough space for the elephants they keep or use. Ten thousands of people and dozens of elephants are assembled in limited space without safety margins. There are no life-long mahouts in service now who understand elephants, but only those who come and go and stay for a short time. Such handlers have no rapport with elephants and the elephants are hostile to them. Temple authorities do not intimate to police and forest officials their plans for parading elephants 72 hours in advance. Banned weapons like sharp-edged iron hooks are widely used to bring elephants under control.

 
Smaller temples follow larger temples and increase the number of elephants in processions.
 
06. Article Title 3 Image & Graphics By Adobe SP.
 

Following the example of grand display of caparisoned elephants in large temple festivals like at Thrissur Arattupuzha Temple (60 elephants), Kollam Parippally Kodimoottil Bhagavathy Temple (50 elephants), Palakkad Palappuram Chinakkathoor Bhagavathy Temple (33 elephants), Thrissur Vadakkumnathan Temple (30 elephants) and Palakkad Kattukulam Pariyanampetta Bhagavathy Temple (21 elephants), even small temples have begun to increase the number of elephants in parades. In places where even one elephant creates a traffic-jam, they line up dozens, disrupting public life and endangering human lives. 

 
Will mankind tolerate if expelled from cities and villages and forced to live in forests?
 

Temples which are supposed to be dispensing godly kindness to man and beast and bird alike do not recognize elephants as ‘a superior breed which needs an independent and undisturbed life’. Let them live in their natural habitats which are forests. If human beings or temples worry whether they are getting enough food in forests after the extensive de-forestation done by man, let them keep elephants in their premises without using them for commercial purposes. Except as charity, no one has a right to keep this magnificent beast in captivity. Will mankind tolerate if they are expelled from cities and villages and forced to live in forests? 

Written In: February 2018
First Published: 17 July 2018
E-Book Published: 10 August 2018
 
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Pictures Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons & Adobe SP
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01 Article Title 1 Image & Graphics By Adobe SP
02 Elephants Crossing Man's Civilization By Sabarinath JP
03 Bathing Elephant At Vazhappalli Temple By Rajesh Unuppally
04 Miles' Long Walks On Hot Tarred Roads By Manoj K
05 Article Title 2 Image & Graphics By Adobe SP
06 Article Title 3 Image & Graphics By Adobe SP
07 Is Reformation Over Book Cover Image & Graphics By Adobe SP
08 Author Profile Of P S Remesh Chandran By Sahyadri Archives

This is the third part of the book ‘Is Reformation Over For Hinduism?’

07. Is Reformation Over Book Cover
 
IS REFORMATION OVER FOR HINDUISM?

Politico-Religious Treatise
©P. S. Remesh Chandran
Kindle Price (US$): $2.53
Kindle Price (INR): Rs. 185.00
To buy this book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GCQWJWT
Publishers: Amazon
Published on: August 11, 2018

Tags:
 

Captive Elephants, Cruelty Against Elephants, Decline Degeneration Vices In Hinduism, Elephant Processions, Essays Articles Investigations, P S Remesh Chandran, Sahyadri Books Trivandrum, Temple Festivals,

About the Author P. S. Remesh Chandran:

08. Author Profile Of P S Remesh Chandran
 

Editor of Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum. Author of several books in English and in Malayalam. And also author of Swan: The Intelligent Picture Book. Born and brought up in the beautiful village of Nanniyode in the Sahya Mountain Valley in Trivandrum, in Kerala. Father British Council trained English teacher and Mother University educated. Matriculation with distinction and Pre Degree Studies in Science with National Merit Scholarship. Discontinued Diploma studies in Electronics and entered politics. Unmarried and single.

Author of several books in English and in Malayalam, mostly poetical collections, fiction, non fiction and political treatises, including Ulsava Lahari, Darsana Deepthi, Kaalam Jaalakavaathilil, Ilakozhiyum Kaadukalil Puzhayozhukunnu, Thirike Vilikkuka, Oru Thulli Velicham, Aaspathri Jalakam, Vaidooryam, Manal, Jalaja Padma Raaji, Maavoyeppoleyaakaan Entheluppam!, The Last Bird From The Golden Age Of Ghazals, Doctors Politicians Bureaucrats People And Private Practice, E-Health Implications And Medical Data Theft, Did A Data Mining Giant Take Over India?, Will Dog Lovers Kill The World?, Is There Patience And Room For One More Reactor?, and Swan, The Intelligent Picture Book.  

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Post: P. S. Remesh Chandran, Editor, Sahyadri Books, Trivandrum, Padmalayam, Nanniyode, Pacha Post, Trivandrum- 695562, Kerala State, South India.

Identifier: SBT-AE-080. The Elephantine Injustice In Kerala Temples. Essay. P. S. Remesh Chandran. Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum.

Published by Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum.
Editor: P S Remesh Chandran.