It is the Pooram season in Kerala and Pooram, the Malayalam word for ‘festival of festivals,’ is celebrated with great gaiety and exuberance in temples, both big and small. This is the time of year when expatriate Malayalees visit their hometowns to partake in the Pooram festivities in their villages. The two indispensable elements of these Poorams are caparisoned elephants and Panchavadyam/Thayambaka, a fusion of percussion instruments played by more than a hundred artists, while the tuskers wave their ears and tails in appreciation of the music.

As the Pooram season gains momentum, a debate ensues among Pooram enthusiasts and animal rights activists regarding the cruelty inflicted upon elephants. There was a time when festivals in Aarattupuzha and Thrissur featured hundreds of elephants adorned with Alavattam, Venchamaram, and umbrellas of varying colours and shapes. However, as the number of domesticated elephants has decreased, the hiring of elephants for Pooram has become a costly proposition.

“There are just 500 domesticated elephants in Kerala as owners of the pachyderms are finding it difficult to rear elephants. Kerala is in need of more elephants as the Forest Department has stopped trapping elephants from forests,” said Rameshan, an elephant lover based in Palakkadu, whose tea shop is dotted with pictures of hundreds of elephants. Rameshan says there can be no temple festivals without elephants.

“It is a tradition  dating back to hundreds of years,” said Ramesh.

V K Venkitachalam, chairman, Heritage Anoimal Task Force, is waging a battle against deploying elephants for temple festivals. “The cruelty meted out to these elephants by their mahouts and owners put human beings to hang their heads in shame. Elephants are made to stand from 7 am to 9 pm without any break and that too in scorching sun. There is no hard and fast rule that temple festivals should have elephants,” said Venkitachalam. He pointed out that three to four tuskers were killed while they were being tranquilised and called for a probe into the affair.

The daily rent for an elephant to be paraded in the Pooram varies from `1,00,000 to `1,50,000/. This is in addition to the transportation charge as there are rules that the tuskers should be ferried in trucks from its place of residence to the temple and back. “It is true that there is severe shortage of elephants in the State. Laws should be amended to make elephant rearing a viable business,” Ramesh.

Noted ecologist and animal rights activist Dr Nanditha Krishna of CPR Environmental Education Centre, Chennai, is of the opinion that the scriptures do not mention about deploying elephants during Temple Festivals.

“The biggest celebration in Sanatana Dharma was the return of Lord Rama and Sita to Ayodhya after defeating Raavana. It was mentioned that people in Ayodhya celebrated the Lord’s return after 14 years of exile by lighting Diya  and this became Diwali. But there is no mention about elephants being paraded during the celebrations. It is all the handiwork of some abnormal kings,” said Dr Krishna.

According to Ramesh, the present debate about elephants and Poorams could be the handiwork of certain vested interests.

“Please remember that though Thrissur Pooram, the mother of all festivals, is celebrated for a day, the district is busy round-the-year with preparations for the next Pooram. It has turned out to be an industry that sustains the livelihood of thousands of people engaged in various works associated with Pooram. Though labelled as a Hindu festival, the Pooram is a venture by people belonging to different religions and communities making it a celebration of humanity.

“Pooram will remain and flourish and there will be elephants which itself is a treat to the eyes,” he said.