Erattupetta: The public announcement at festival venues during the arrival of tusker Erattupetta Ayyappan, who died on Tuesday, was thrilling. “Ayyappan is the loving gift of Kunjukunjachayan to his dear wife Ethammachi, brought from the land of Kodanad. He provides charm and beauty to any temple festival, whether it is in Thrissur or Thirunakkara.

“From the woods of Kodanad, this elephant, which carries another name of the deity Manikanda, has reached the front row of tuskers in Kerala. He is a son of the Sahyadri mountain and a symbol of calmness, who has proved time and again that he is averse to mischief and aggression,” said the announcement.

 Ayyappan even had a social media presence, with Facebook and Instagram accounts in his name. Having a gentle nature, he never harmed anybody and could be approached even by small kids. As a baby elephant, Ayyappan was never tied to a spot and grew up literally running around the premises of the Paravanparambil house at Vellikkunnel.

Elderly residents in Thikkoyi, Anayilappu and Erattupetta areas still remember Ayyappan’s playful young days. Hundreds of people began pouring into the premises of Paravanparambil house on hearing about Ayyappan’s death.

For his trips to the venues of festivals, Ayyappan travelled on a lorry which displayed the board, ‘Airavathasaman, Erattupetta Ayyappan.’ The tusker spent the period from May to September every year for ‘sukha chikitsa’ (wellness therapy). Once, when Ayyappan fainted during the Thrissur pooram due to excessive heat, elephant lovers gave him relief by emptying hundreds of bottles of mineral water over his body.

Veterinarian Dr Saseendradev, who treated Ayyappan, said that a severe virus infection of the urinary bladder was the cause of his death. Ayyappan’s owner, Thomas P Thomas, his brother Babu Thomas and other family members offered final tributes to the tusker by scattering flowers over his body.