Living with Elephants: Stories of Faith

Coexisting with elephants would seem unthinkable and impossible to most of us. Yet adivasis in Gudalur have done so for generations and continue to do so. They share their home, the forest, with elephants. Their kids take paths frequented by elephants while going to school. We wondered, what has been the basis of this coexistence? Is it their understanding of elephant behavior acquired over generations of sharing space with them? Is it cultural tolerance? Or is it faith? While each factor contributes significantly, faith emerged as an undisputed winner.

Is it possible that they did not fear elephants at all? No, we discovered. Can faith triumph over fear? We discovered that yes, it can.

A Bettakurumba man watches a herd of elephants at close quarters

In the village of Gulimoola bordering Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Rama and her family spent sleepless nights for several years, until three years ago. “Elephants came every day, made noises and sometimes even knocked down trees and houses. I used to be worried my house would be attacked by them. The fear wouldn’t let me sleep peacefully,” says Rama. When the fear became unbearable, she decided to consult her gods. “I started a Kaavu (sacred grove) in my land for Mariamma. We have now been offering her puja every year for the last 3 years. She is very powerful. The elephants still come but do not create trouble anymore. Mariamma has been protecting us.”

A simple electric fence around her house would have kept elephants away – a popular human-elephant conflict mitigation measure in the region. But if faith could achieve the same, why rely on something else?

Sivaraj, a member of the Adivasi Munnetra Sangam, insists on wrapping up work by 5 in the evening so that he can be home before it gets dark. His village, Kottaimedu, is in the middle of thick and beautiful bamboo forests, which are also a favourite habitat for the elephants. There are days when he comes face to face with elephant(s) despite all his precautions to avoid running into them. “I remember Bommar devam on such occasions. He is our forest god and has always protected us from elephants and tigers in the forest.” I got curious and asked if Bommar Devan would come to my rescue if I had an elephant at arm’s length. “No,” he said, “you do not truly believe in our god. It works only if you have complete faith that it will.” As much as his response came as a slap on my face, I knew it was true.

Sivaraj’s faith in his forest god has protected him from elephants all his life

Then there are practices stemming from faith that keep you from harm’s way inside a forest. Lakshmi from Chembakolly told us about one such practice.

A small mammal that lives mainly in bamboo forests has to be burnt in firewood made with jackfruit. You need to then carry the ash thus produced deep inside the forest and stay there for 7 days. Remarkably, though, hunger will not bother you. Thirst will not trouble you. Wild animals will come and frighten you, but they will cause you no harm. Such is the power of the ash! On the seventh day, Badrakali (a Kattunayakan god) appears, and the ash gets blown away. Badrakali then gifts you a different ash. Now, a pinch of this new ash on your forehead is all you need to walk bravely in the forest without fear of elephants!

We were talking to Lalitha, a Kattunayakan lady who is also the Mudumalai Panchayat President, about the increasing human-elephant conflict. According to her, if one preserves the ‘thing’ of elephants that comes out of its body during birth (umbilical cord, we think) in a piece of cloth, he/she does not need to worry about elephants. We confirmed with another Kattunayakan leader, Sivaraj. “Of course that’s true. In fact, our ancestors used to cut open their arms and insert the ‘thing’ in their arms!”

It is easy for me and others to dismiss these stories as mere superstitions and myths. But the fact is that whilst many parts of India express alarm at a human-elephant conflict, these communities have managed peaceful coexistence for hundreds of years. Is it possible that something in these time-tested practices holds value for our understanding of how to live with elephants?

– Shruti Agarwal