The Maha Kumbh Mela is set to begin in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on 13 January 2025. Amidst this, a video going viral on social media (here, here, and here), claiming to show a three-headed elephant at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. A user shared the video with the caption, “Have a glimpse of the three-faced amazing Gajanan in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. Har Har Mahadev.” Let’s verify the claim made in the post through this article.
Claim: A video shows a three-headed elephant in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, during the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025.
Fact: The viral video is not from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, and not from the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025. The visuals originate from Thailand’s Ayutthaya Khon Festival, where a three-headed elephant is paraded to represent Erawan, the Thai name for Airavata, the divine elephant. However, the additional two heads on the elephant are prosthetic, not real. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Upon closely reviewing the viral video, we observed that it features a mahout riding a three-headed elephant. However, the additional two heads are prosthetic, not real. We then conducted a reverse image search of keyframes from the video, which led us to the same video (archived) on YouTube, uploaded on 31 May 2024 by a Thai vlogger. The description reveals that the video showcases preparations for the ‘5th Ayutthaya Khon Festival,’ a celebration of the Ayutthaya culture in Thailand.
Taking clues from the video description, we used relevant keywords and found similar videos of three-headed elephants in processions during the Ayutthaya Khon Festival at Wat Mahathat. Visuals from this year’s as well as previous festivals, where similar three-headed elephants were featured, can be viewed here, here, here, and, here (archived here, here, here, and, here). These visuals clearly show that the additional two heads of the elephant are prosthetic.
The festival is an annual event celebrating the culture of Ayutthaya, which is regarded as the precursor to modern Thailand. In Thai mythology, Erawan (the Thai name for Airavata, the divine elephant) is portrayed as a massive elephant with three, or sometimes even thirty-three heads, often depicted with multiple tusks. Many temples in Thailand feature sculptures of Indra riding Erawan, the three-headed elephant. Additionally, there is a dedicated Erawan Museum in Thailand.
Factly had previously debunked the same video when it went viral, claiming it showed a real elephant read here.
To sum up, a video of a three-headed Elephant from Thailand’s Ayutthaya Khon Festival is falsely shared as that of Prayagraj Uttar Pradesh during the Maha Kumbh Mela
