Watch: Elephant Dances And Feasts On 'Special Thali' On Birthday

A video circulating on the internet has captivated the attention of viewers with a heartwarming demonstration of joy and community spirit. The clip, reportedly from Tamil Nadu, shows an elephant celebrating its birthday surrounded by shouts and loving gestures from bystanders. On its birthday, the elephant is shown eating a massive plate of all kinds of fruits and dancing its heart out in the footage. As people sing “Happy Birthday,” the gentle giant appears satisfied and rattles its trunk in joy.

The video opens with the stately elephant swaying softly from side to side, decorated with brightly coloured ornaments that jingle as its moves. The elephant is clearly loved by the community, as seen by the clothes, garlands and even tilaks — a sign of respect and blessings — that are placed on its forehead.

As a gathering of people sings ‘Happy Birthday,’ the elephant responds by shaking its head rhythmically, as if in sync with the festive atmosphere.

Instead of the customary cake, the elephant receives a special thali that is decorated with a variety of fruits and vegetables. It enjoys itself as it devours the offerings, its decorations clinking at every mouthful.

The video was shared on July 17 and it has collected over 3.5 million views. Meanwhile, the comments on the video reflect the sentiments of viewers who were moved by the demonstration of caring and delight.

A user commented, “The elephant is called Akhila and its 22nd birthday was celebrated in a temple in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As elephants are very clever, you can clearly tell it was quite happy with the celebration and was happily enjoying the fruits it was being fed.”

Another said, “I love how it’s dancing while it eats.”

A user wrote, “Oh this is so cute and the elephant just loves the attention he’s getting too lol it’s a beautiful thing!!!

“This is how you treat a majestic creature,” a user remarked.

According to reports, on May 24, Akila, the revered elephant of the Thiruvanaikovil Sri Jambukeswarar Akilandeswari temple, turned 22. Akila was born in Assam in 2002 and sent to Thiruvanaikoil temple by a charity organisation in 2011, reports added. Since then, the elephant has remained at the temple, attracting thousands of devotees over the last 12 years.