The elephant Pallattu Brahmadathan, who died in a lightning strike, was cremated in Keralam

The mortal remains of Pallattu Brahmadathan’s tusker are being kept at Pallattu’s house in Melambara near Pala for public to pay their respects on Monday. | Photo credit: VISHNU PRATHAP

The premises of Pallattu House at Melambara near Pala witnessed a large gathering on Monday (October 5, 2026) as people from different parts of Kerala came to pay their last respects to Pallattu Brahmadathan, a 54-year-old tusker who died after being struck by lightning on Sunday evening.

People have been flocking to the house since Sunday (October 4) to catch a last glimpse of the elephant that has been a fixture at temple festivals in Kerala for nearly three decades. After the forest department completed the post-mortem by noon, the animal was cremated in the plot near the house.

Brought to Keralam around 1999, Tusker was originally owned by Pothen Varghese of Puthuppally and was known as Puthuppally Brahmadathan. It was later bought by Rajesh Pallattu, the state president of Kerala Festival Coordination Committee, and became known as Pallattu Brahmadathan.

When the lightning struck on Sunday evening, the elephant was on observation for cider and was resting in a shed in the compound of the house. The pack was scheduled to be released from the shed within a week of the mush season ending. A post-mortem report is expected to determine the exact cause of death.

Official sources said a similar incident was reported in Pala 12 years ago when a tusker named Thiruvappallil Krishnan Kutty died at Kadapattur near Pala after being struck by lightning.

Published – 05 Oct 2026 19:05 IST