Alappuzha: Mullakkal Balakrishnan, the temple elephant who carried the idol (thidambu) of Goddess Mullakkalamma for decades, passed away on Monday morning. The 62-year-old tusker died on the Mullakkal Rajarajeswari Temple premises around 7 am.

Balakrishnan had been resting beneath a banyan tree inside the temple compound when he suddenly collapsed, shortly after the Prabhatha Seeveli ritual concluded. Among the tuskers owned by the Travancore Devaswom Board, Balakrishnan was known for his impressive thala eduppu (raised-head posture), ranking second in the line-up.

In recognition of his stature and service, he was awarded the prestigious Gajarajapattam title by the Board in 2008.

For the past 36 years, Balakrishnan had carried the idol of the temple's presiding deity on all major occasions, including the annual festival. This year, however, he could not perform the ritual due to age-related health issues. Instead, he made only a brief appearance for the flag-hoisting ceremony before returning to rest. During this period, Balakrishnan had been accompanied by his first mahout, P S Anil Kumar.

Mullakkal Temple acquired Balakrishnan from the administrative committee of the Paramekkavu Bhagavati Temple in December 1987. Then aged below 20, he was purchased for ₹1.25 lakh using the remaining funds collected for conducting the Kodiarchana ritual, held once in 12 years, along with contributions from devotees.

As the malayalam month of Dhanu was deemed inauspicious, the temple administrative committee waited several months before formally bringing the tusker into service by submitting him to the temple on April 23, 1988. Balakrishnan made his debut by parading for the Thripputhrattu festival at the Chengannur Mahadeva Temple. In 2015, he set a record by participating in 136 temple festivals in a single year.

Balakrishnan remained an active presence at more than 100 festivals annually and rose to prominence after appearing at major temples including Ambalappuzha Srikrishna Swami Temple, Vaikom Mahadeva Temple, Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple and Thiruvalla Narasimha Swami Temple, among others.