Lakshmi, elephant of Puducherry's Manakula Vinayagar temple, dies due to cardiac arrest

On Wednesday, an elephant from the well-known Manakula Vinayakar temple in Puducherry had a sudden cardiac arrest. When Lakshmi, the temple elephant, was being led for a walk, the unfortunate incident took place. An industrialist donated the pachyderm known as Lakshmi to the temple in 1995, and since then, both local devotees and visitors from other countries have sought the pachyderm's favour.

The jumbo was being cared for by a veterinarian from the territorial government, who was there when it suffered a heart attack and passed away. He claimed to PTI that the animal was healthy prior to the unexpected cardiac arrest that ultimately led to its demise. The pachyderm died after collapsing on a road near the public secondary school Calve College.

The animal would be laid later in the day at the large temple property in neighbouring Muthialpet, according to Ramachandran, the president of the temple's trustee board. People from all regions of the union territory flocked to pay respects as soon as word of the elephant's passing spread like wildfire on social media.

Additionally, people were spotted decorating the animal's mortal remains with garlands and flower petals. When the animal was hoisted with the assistance of a crane to a vehicle, police officers were sent in to help calm the gathering. The only temple in Puducherry that had an elephant was the Manakula Vinayakar Temple.

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(With inputs from PTI)