Panic and chaos as elephant taking part in religious ceremony runs loose in South India temple

Chaos broke out after an elephant, which was taking part in a religious ceremony at a temple in South India, ran amok on Tuesday.

Three priests sat on top of the elephant Nandalitu Gopalakrishnan as it began its traditional walk around the temple in Cherai in Kerala.

The mahuts had failed to notice that the elephant had entered its ‘musth’ phase, a time when its testosterones surge making it very aggressive.

Agitated by the noise and the crowd, the elephant ran amok, making devotees scatter and run for their lives.

A team of mahuts ran behind the elephant, throwing ropes around its legs and eventually bringing it under control.

Officials said Gopalakrishnan was sent back to his camp and no one was hurt in the incident.