Days after a temple cat from China created wave on social media, a temple elephant from Tamil Nadu has grabbed eyeballs. Sengamalam, the beloved elephant of Sri Vidya Rajagopalaswamy Temple in Mannargudi, has made headlines for its unconventional hairstyle. A recent video of the animal combing its hair surfaced online, making it go viral.
The internet enjoyed the elephant's grooming session with its mahout, S Rajagopal. The video showed the caretaker lovingly combing the jumbo's hair.
The clip opened showing Sengamalam's adorable 'bob-cut' hairstyle. Rajagopal patiently and carefully combed the temple elephant's signature hair. As the man moved the comb, the animal bowed obediently, letting the man groom it.
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Bob-cut elephant
The video, which has been widely shared on social media, has left viewers enchanted by the elephant’s calm demeanor and stylish appearance.
Her mahout, Rajagopal, once told the news media he enjoys spending time with the elephant, especially in grooming sessions to maintaining the 'bob-cut' look. "Sengamalam is like my child. I wanted her to have a special look", he was quoted as saying in news reports, adding, "Once I watched an elephant cub with a bob-cut in a video on the Internet. So, I started to grow Sengamalam's hair".
It was learned that the elephant was brought to this temple in 2003 from Kerala and since then, it has gained attention and affection from visitors.
Sengamalam's distinct fringed hairstyle has made the elephant go viral on social media, with many sharing 'heart' emojis on the video praising its unique and impressive hairstyle.
The jumbo has even received recognition from IFS officer Sudha Ramen, whose tweet about Sengamalam first sparked widespread admiration in 2020.
