A shocking video has emerged from a temple in Arattupuzha of Kerala's Thrissur district in which two elephants were seen locking horns amidst a crowd.
The video, shot during the famous Tharackal Pooram (festival) on Friday night, showed an elephant used for the temple rituals turning violent. The domesticated jumbo named Guruvayur Ravikrishan went on a rampage after 10:30 PM, before turning towards another elephant standing nearby. The second elephant, Puthuppally Arjunan, reacted in self-defence as Ravikrishan tried to gore him. This resulted in a direct face-off between the two elephants, even as mahouts sat on top of them both with deities and ceremonial umbrellas, the video showed.
Arjunan struggled to hold his ground as the other elephant charged at him with great force. He was violently pushed away by Ravikrishnan, forcing it to turn around and run.
To the horror of onlookers, Arjunan ran towards them, unable to fend off an angry Ravikrishan. The video showed Ravikrishnan pursuing a fleeing Arjunan for several metres through the public with men trapped on top of both. The viral video also showed a few men trying to intimidate the angry elephant by attacking it from behind. Another man pulled the elephant by its tail even as it charged at Arjunan.
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Left: A man pulling elephant Ravikrishnan by its tail; Right: A man beating Ravikrishnan as he is about to pursue a fleeing Arjunan (viral video screengrabs)
Although many people were injured in the panic that ensued, no loss of life was reported in the incident. Among the injured were the mahout of Ravikrishnan, who escaped multiple stomping attempts by a whisker, reports said.
According to reports, the two elephants continued the cat and mouse game for about a kilometre. Arjunan ran towards a bridge in the Sasthamkadavu area that was packed with worshippers. However, they were left unhurt by both the elephants. Later, an elephant squad arrived on the spot and calmed both the animals down, Malayalam media reports said.
WATCH THE VIRAL 'ELEPHANT FIGHT' VIDEO FROM KERALA HERE:
