Preferred tusker couldn't come, angry backup jumbo leads to unusual Seeveli without elephant in Guruvayur

GURUVAYUR: Tusker Krishnanarayanan, who was supposed to to carry the golden idol of the deity for Seeveli, was not able to come to Guruvayur temple on Sunday. Following an incident, the replacement elephant Radhakrishnan knocked down an employee of the temple. Due to this Seeveli of Lord Guruvayoorappan, who owns 39 elephants, had to be performed without an elephant. The devaswom administrator filed a complaint with the temple police against the mahout of jumbo Krishnanarayanan who entered the elephant sanctuary drunk.

For the Seeveli at 3.30 pm, assistant priest Thiruvaloor Harinarayanan Namboothiri carried the golden idol of Lord Guruvayurappan in his hands.

As the elephant did not arrive even after Seeveli time, backup tusker Radhakrishnan was to the temple. As it was a taller elephant, Harinarayanan Namboothiri, could not climb atop Radhakrishnan. When the mahout tried again to make the elephant sit down, Achunni, an employee of the temple holding a Kuthuvilakku (lamp), got in front of the elephant. Enraged, the jumbo kicked him. Achunni managed to get up immediately and moved away. Mahout Sreenath's timely intervention pacified the tusker but it was removed from the Seeveli ritual.

As it would take time to get another elephant from the sanctuary, Seeveli was performed with an elephant. Seeveli is performed without an elephant only as part of the ceremonies in the temple on the first day of the annual fesitval.