KOTTAYAM: For nearly three decades, Pallattu Brahmadathan had been a familiar and majestic presence at Keralam’s temple festivals, earning a special place in the hearts of elephant lovers and festival enthusiasts. On Monday, however, the sprawling premises of the Pallattu house at Melampara near Pala fell silent as thousands gathered to bid a final farewell to the beloved tusker, who died after being struck by lightning.
Grief-stricken people from different parts of the state poured into the Pallattu house to catch one final glimpse of the 54-year-old elephant, fondly known as ‘Pallattukutti’. After the forest department completed the postmortem examination by noon, Brahmadathan was cremated on a plot of land near the Pallattu house.
For the Pallattu family, the farewell was especially poignant. Owner Rajesh Pallattu, state president of Keralam Festival Coordination Committee, his brother Satheesh and their mother Kamalamma struggled to hold back tears as they stood beside the lifeless body of the elephant who had been part of their family for years.
“He was a very lovable elephant. He was not an ordinary elephant, but a gift from God. He was always calm and never caused trouble to anyone. Once, eight elephants ran amok at a temple festival, but he alone stood there calmly. We would not have felt this much grief even if one of us had died,” an inconsolable Satheesh said.
Brahmadathan was much more than a regular participant in Keralam’s temple festivals. He carried the Thidambu of the Paramekkavu Goddess during the 2015 Thrissur Pooram and was a celebrated presence at major festivals, including the Vaikom Ashtami.
His calm temperament, even amid the commotion of festivals, made him a favourite among both mahouts and festival-goers.
Captured from the forests of Arunachal Pradesh, Brahmadathan was brought to Keralam around 1999. He was initially owned by Pothen Varghese of Puthuppally and was known as ‘Puthuppally Brahmadathan’. He later came into the ownership of Rajesh, after which he became known as ‘Pallattu Brahmadathan’.
His bond with his mahouts had become particularly evident when he arrived to pay his final respects following the death of Damodaran Nair, his chief mahout for nearly 25 years.
Brahmadathan had been undergoing treatment for neerilakkam, a physiological condition affecting elephants, and was resting at a shed in Pallattu house when a bolt of lightning claimed his life on Sunday.