Chariots Instead of Elephants: Kerala's Temple Festival Shift

The Yogakshema Sabha, a Brahmin organization in Kerala, endorses replacing elephants with chariots in temple festivals due to safety concerns. The group highlights the risks priests face, urging for insurance coverage and risk allowances for them, as elephant-related incidents often lead to injuries or fatalities.

The Yogakshema Sabha, a Brahmin organization in Kerala, has announced its support for replacing elephants with chariots in temple festivals, citing safety concerns. They assert that this change is not tantrically inappropriate and stress the need to recognize temple priests as human beings.

The organization expressed alarm over the frequency of elephants becoming violent during processions, which has resulted in multiple fatalities. Akkeeraman Kalidasan Bhattathiripad, the state president of the organization, emphasized the dwindling number of captive elephants in Kerala and called for devotees to adapt to chariot processions.

Bhattathiripad urged temple authorities to provide adequate insurance and risk allowances for priests. Highlighting the risks priests face, he mentioned instances where priests have had to hire substitutes to perform rituals on elephants. He stressed that priests, often classified as Class IV employees, require stronger support systems.