INDIA, July 17, 2026 (The Hindu): Ignoring relentless monsoon rain, thousands of devotees thronged the Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur, Kerala, on Friday (July 17, 2026) to witness the annual Aanayoottu (feeding of elephants), turning this year’s ritual into a memorable rain feast. The skies seemed to mirror the spectacle below. As dark monsoon clouds gathered over the temple, 49 elephants — tuskers, female elephants and calves — lined up near the southern gopuram, their glistening black bodies standing out against the rain-soaked temple grounds. Unadorned by caparisons or festival ornaments, the elephants displayed their natural majesty, offering a rare sight in a city more accustomed to seeing them decked up for Pooram festivities.

Despite the weather, the temple ground remained packed from early morning with families, children, elephant enthusiasts and pilgrims from across Kerala. Many waited patiently in the rain for their chance to offer food to the elephants. The ceremony began with the Melsanthi (chief priest), Payyappilly Madhavan Namboodiri, offering the first rice ball to female elephant Thiruvambady Lakshmi. The elephants were served a nutritious feast prepared from 1100 lbs of cooked rice mixed with jaggery and turmeric and rolled into large balls. They were also fed pineapple, cucumber, watermelon, maize, bananas and several other fruits, besides a special herbal digestive mixture. The ritual traces its origin to 1982, when Kerala’s elephants returned exhausted after participating in the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in New Delhi. The temple introduced a special feeding program to restore their health, and the practice later evolved into the annual Aanayoottu held on the first day of Karkkidakam.

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https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/thousands-brave-torrential-rain-to-witness-iconic-aanayoottu-ritual-at-temple-in-keralas-thrissur/article71233153.ece/amp/

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