Mangaluru, Aug. 30 -- In a pioneering move, actor Raveena Tandon and her daughter Rasha Thadani, in association with PETA India, have donated a mechanical elephant named Airavata to Moodabidri's 15th century Thousand Pillars Jain Temple.
The temple, also known as the Jain Kashi of South India , thus becomes the first Jain shrine in the world to adopt such technology, vowing never to own or hire live elephants.
Unveiled amidst the Silver Jubilee of the Swamiji's Pattabhisheka, the majestic Airavata, standing three metres high and weighing 800 kilograms , has been meticulously designed to replicate the gestures of a living elephant, from swaying its trunk to flapping its ears. It will now preside over temple ceremonies and processions, allo...