Poondi मंदिर परिसर में जंगली हाथी का प्रवेश, भक्तों में भगदड़; वीडियो वायरल

Coimbatore - Tamilnadu "Run, run, don’t look back, just run…!" – Devotees screamed in fear as a lone wild elephant charged in. The lone wild elephant entered the temple premises in search of food: Devotees panicked and ran screaming – Cell phone video footage goes viral… At the foothills of the Western Ghats near Coimbatore lies the Poondi Velliangiri Andavar Temple. From here, devotees are usually permitted by the Forest Department to climb up to the 7th hill, where a naturally formed Shiva lingam is worshipped, during the months of February, March, April, and May every year. However, the hill path has been closed to devotees for the past five months. Meanwhile, due to festivals like Ayudha Pooja and Vijayadashami, a large number of devotees gathered at the Velliangiri Andavar shrine at Poondi foothills for darshan and worship. In the area, there are also shops selling pooja items, free food distribution halls (annadhanam), and the temple’s own dining hall. A few months ago, the same lone wild elephant had repeatedly entered the annadhanam hall, eating the food kept for devotees and damaging the property. To control the situation, the Forest Department had brought in a kumki elephant and stationed it there to monitor the premises. Because of this, the wild elephant had stayed away from the area for the past few months. However, yesterday, the lone wild elephant returned in search of food and entered the temple premises. Devotees who were inside for darshan panicked upon seeing the elephant and shouted, “Run, run, don’t look back, just run…!” as they scrambled out in fear. One of the devotees present there captured the entire scene on a cell phone video. That footage is now going viral on social media. Just like how many temples in Tamil Nadu have their own temple elephant, devotees are now expecting the Forest Department to set up a permanent camp in the area and station a kumki elephant there for safety.