ISKCON Visakhapatnam Unveils 800 kg Robotic Elephant Donated by PETA India and Actor Adivi Sesh

GBC chairman Madhusevita Dasa inaugurated “Ranga” at MGM Park during the temple’s Sharad Purnima celebrations; PETA India says it is the 33rd mechanical elephant it has placed with temples that pledge never to own or hire a live one.

VISAKHAPATNAM, India — A life-size, 800-kilogram mechanical elephant named Ranga was unveiled on Sunday, 25 October 2026, at MGM Park on Beach Road, in front of a large gathering of devotees attending ISKCON Visakhapatnam’s Sharad Purnima celebrations. The organisers describe it as the first of its kind in Andhra Pradesh.^[1] The elephant was donated by PETA India together with the Telugu actor Adivi Sesh, in recognition of the temple’s decision never to own or hire live elephants.^[2]

The unveiling

Madhusevita Dasa, chairman of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission, inaugurated the elephant. ISKCON Visakhapatnam’s temple president, Samba Dasa, and the temple’s spiritual mentor, Nitai Sevini Devi Dasi, led the programme, which continued with a “Nauka Vihar” boat festival, “Bhajan Clubbing”, the Kartika Deepotsavam and sankirtana of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.^[1][2]

According to the temple, the elephant was brought from Thrissur in Kerala.^[1] The Hindu lists among those present CMR Group managing director Mavuri Venkata Ramana, former Andhra University vice-chancellor G.S.N. Raju, Simhachalam Devasthanam chief priest G. Srinivasacharyulu and Pydah Educational Institutions chairman Pydah Krishna Prasad.^[1]

What the donors and the temple said

“True spirituality is rooted in compassion. By embracing a mechanical elephant for our celebrations, we can honour our sacred traditions while ensuring that no living being is made to suffer in the process. We hope this initiative inspires devotees to deepen their devotion through kindness, responsibility, and respect for all of Krishna’s creation.”

Madhusevita Dasa, GBC chairman, in PETA India’s release, 26 October 2026^[2]

“This initiative allows devotees to experience the grandeur of our celebrations without subjecting live elephants to the demands of religious events, and we hope it inspires more temples to consider similar approaches.”

Samba Dasa, temple president, ISKCON Visakhapatnam, in the same release^[2]

Adivi Sesh said he applauded “the temple management and devotees for embracing a compassionate way to celebrate the traditions” and hoped the step would “inspire many more temples across the country to adopt humane innovations like this”.^[2]

PETA India’s campaign

PETA India says Ranga is the 33rd robotic elephant whose donation it has facilitated, across seven Indian states, and that the animals it replaces are typically trained for processions through beatings and suffer foot and leg wounds from being chained to concrete. It cites an incident earlier this month in which an elephant at the Sri Padmavathi Ammavari temple in Tiruchanoor, Tirupati, reportedly attacked its mahout and charged at devotees.^[2]

The organisation describes its mechanical elephants as three metres tall, built of rubber, fibre, metal, mesh, foam and steel, driven by five motors, able to move the head, ears, eyes, tail and trunk and to spray water, and mounted on a wheelbase so that they can be pushed through the streets in processions. PETA India gives their weight as about 500 kg; The Hindu reported Ranga’s weight as 800 kg.^[1][2]

The temple

ISKCON Visakhapatnam, home of Sri Sri Radha Damodar, stands on the Bay of Bengal shore and has served the city for decades with worship, kirtana, classes, prasadam distribution and community service, according to PETA India’s description of the temple.^[2] The unveiling had been announced in The Hindu two days earlier, when the temple said the GBC chairman, MPs and MLAs were expected to attend.

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Sources

1. The Hindu Bureau, “ISKCON unveils 800-kg robotic elephant in Visakhapatnam”, The Hindu, 25 October 2026. thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/iskcon-unveils-800-kg-robotic-elephant… (archived copy)
2. Shreya Manocha, “ISKCON Visakhapatnam to Welcome Andhra Pradesh’s First Mechanical Elephant—Gifted by Actor Adivi Sesh and PETA India During Sharad Purnima Celebrations”, PETA India, 26 October 2026. petaindia.com/blog/iskcon-visakhapatnam-to-welcome-andhra-pradeshs-first-mechanical… (archived copy)