Entire village mourns elephant Krishnankutty

Kottayam: He was more than an elephant to them, he was a part of their fraternity.

It is said that the 48-year-old elephant, Thiruvappally Krishnankutty, which was struck dead by lightning on Wednesday, would stop, as if by remote control, before some of the houses of Pallikkathodu. He would bow and receive the jaggery, coconuts and bananas from the residents, and his mahout, Sasidharan Nair, would tie him to a mango tree. “Krishnankutty was an elephant with no tendency for violence. He has been visiting us for the last 10 years, but we never saw him in a rage,” says Ashokan of Pallikathodu.

The animal was a favourite with the residents of Pallikkathodu every time he came to pick up wood or walked in temple processions. “It was a treat to look at him, he had wide ears, a symmetrical head, a trunk that touched the earth, a long tail and wonderful ivory tusk, fitting most of the characteristics mentioned in the Mathangaleela, (a text describing the qualities of an ideal elephant)," says Mr Rajasekaran of Pallikkathodu, an expert on elephants.

Krishnankutty, an indigenous elephant, was brought from the Kodanadu elephant training centre, bought in the last auction in its history, 40 years ago by the Chirakka-davu Chappamattathil family for Rs 28,000.
Eight years old then, he was put under the care of a mahout, Kuttappan Nair, and his son, Sasidharan Nair, who was then in his early twenties and later became the elephant's full time mahout. "In all these 40 years that I have looked after him he never disobeyed my instructions and never became violent," said a grief stricken Sasidharan Nair who has not been able to come to terms with his ward's passing.