KOCHI: In a delicate balancing act, elephants were paraded in two rows for the first time in the history of Tripunithura Sree Poornathrayeesa temple on Friday to ensure strict adherence to the High Court order without compromising on tradition and dampening the festive fervour.
The HC had on Thursday declined to relax the 3-meter distance between elephants on all four sides during parades.
As per tradition, 15 elephants were paraded for the morning seeveli and evening vilakku ensuring 3 meter distance between the elephants.
Celebrity tusker Pazhayannur Sreeraman of Cochin Devaswom carried the Thidambu (decorated replica of the deity) for the seeveli, while Chirakkal Kalidasan got the privilege for vilakku. The Cochin Devaswom Board (CDB) has arranged 33 elephants which will be paraded in turns twice a day during the eight-day Vrischikolsavam.
In the first parade held after the High Court order, tuskers were paraded in two rows in front of the Anakottil, with nine lined up in the front row and six in the second row. Forest department officials monitored the conduct of the seeveli and vilakku.
Forest officials arrived at the temple at 7 am and inspected the compound after which spots were marked for parading the elephants. Later a rehearsal involving the animals was held to ensure that the guidelines were being met.
A distance of 5 meter was maintained between the elephants and the flambeau, while the artists performing panchari melam (percussion ensemble) maintained a distance of 8m from the elephants.
‘All arrangements made to ensure sufficient care and rest to jumbos’
Barricades were placed to ensure adequate distance between elephants and the public.
“The temple used to parade 15 elephants in one row inside the Anakottil till last year. As the mandatory distance of 3m cannot be maintained inside the Anakottil, they paraded the elephants in two rows. Our officials inspected the compound and marked the spot for elephants. We have deployed staff to ensure adherence to the court order round the clock. Action will be taken according to the rules in case of any violation,” said Ernakulam Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Fen Antony.
Devotees complained of lack of sufficient space to enjoy the ensemble during the evening vilakku.
Devotees crowded the venue for the flag-hoisting ceremony at 7:30 pm. However, the rituals were conducted without any hindrance.
“The court directive may cause inconvenience to devotees as we have to control the public due to space constraints. We are making announcement through the public address system to create awareness and erecting barricades to control the public. We will submit a report to the state government on the practical difficulties faced due to the restrictions. The government may take up with the Centre the issue of amendments to the Act,” said CDB president Dr Sudarshan.
“We have made all arrangements to ensure sufficient care and rest to the tuskers. A distance of 3 meter was ensured between the elephants while parading them in two rows,” said Devaswom officer Reghuraman.
Meanwhile, elephant rights activist and Heritage Animal Task Force secretary V K Venkitachalam forwarded two complaints to the intelligence wing of the forest department alleging that the mandatory distance of 3m belly to belly was not maintained during the seeveli procession in the morning.
He alleged, in another complaint, that six elephants were made to stand in the scorching sun during the Thirumunpil melam.