VIDEO: Still living at age 58, India's tallest elephant, Thechikottukavu Ramachandran, has killed a record 15 people and 3 elephants in his lifetime and is considered the most dangerous captive elephant in the country

Still living at age 58, India's tallest elephant, Thechikottukavu Ramachandran, has killed a record 15 people and 3 elephants in his lifetime and is considered the most dangerous captive elephant in the country.

An era ended on last week when the Kerala High Court imposed a blanket ban on parading celebrated tusker Thechikottukavu Ramachandran at temple festivals and other public events.

Born in Assam and reared in Bihar, Ramachandran stands 320 cm in height — India’s tallest living captive elephant, and Kerala’s most-valued; despite losing vision in one eye and failing eyesight in the other, his fan following in the state matches that of Mammootty and Mohanlal, superstars of Malayalam films.

Ramachandran was blinded in one eye during a training session, but despite the apparent handicap, he was hired every year over the past 18 years to push open the southern entrance of the Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur every day for the Pooram festival.

Few could imagine Thrissur Pooram and other temple festivals without “Raman”, as the elephant is affectionately known among fans, who see it as the most majestic among all jumbos in the state. So great is Raman’s popularity that his daily hiring charge is a steep ₹2.5 lakh.

To Sandeep Kumar, a Thrissur-based life skills trainer and a fan, Ramachandran is “the king” among captive elephants in the state whose stature will not be diminished by the court order. “His majestic appearance and body length are unmatchable, they make Ramachandran a hero,” Kumar said.

The ban was imposed only after an agitated elephant killed two people in 2019. This too turned out to be a temporary stop, as the ban was revoked later.

The elephant, which has many fans among pooram enthusiasts, is thought to be 58 years old. As per reports, it went from Assam forests to Bihar without a name and was later christened Moti Prasad. Though the elephant was named Ganeshan when he reached Thrissur, it was renamed name by the Thechikottukavu Devaswom, after it bought the elephant from Venkidadri Raju Narayanaswami in 1984.

Ramachandran has been a favourite of the Thrissur Pooram enthusiasts for many years. He debuted in 2014 and was loved for his broad cranium and long trunk.

In 2019, the Elephant Owners Association went on strike saying that they will not provide their tuskers for Thrissur Pooram till the ban on Ramachandran was revoked.

VIDEO HERE.