The death of Kawanthissa, one of the tallest and largest tuskers Sri Lanka has known, still weighs on the hearts of many wildlife lovers. More than a week after his death, social media is still full of posts about how he died and how he was laid to rest. One of the most shared is a video that claims to show the tusker draped in orange cloth, covered in flowers, and honored with lit lamps on his final journey. Here are the posts that carried it.
Social Media Posts:
A Facebook page posted this short video on October 18 under the title “The Pride of the Forest Silently Bids Farewell: King Kawanthissa!” Shared more than 1,300 times, the post carried a brief description of Kawanthissa and ended with the words, “Farewell, Great King of the Forest!”
The first part of the video showed a herd of elephants, including one identified as Kawanthissa, crossing a road in two scenes. The final part showed a dead elephant, decorated with flowers and garlands, receiving religious rites as it was prepared for a dignified final journey.
A day earlier, on October 17, the following video appeared on TikTok with the caption “Farewell, King Kawanthissa”, suggesting that the flower-covered elephant being prepared for its final journey was Kawanthissa.
From October 19, cards pairing two photos captioned “Kawanthissa in Sri Lanka” and “Brahmadathan in India” also spread on Facebook and YouTube, claiming that Kawanthissa received no honors. The Indian elephant in those cards was the same one shown in the video.
Claim Under Review: Does the video of an elephant draped in orange cloth, showered with flowers, and honored with lit lamps show the last rites of Kawanthissa?
Fact-Check:
Kawanthissa’s last rites followed Buddhist traditions
Kawanthissa, who had been under treatment for several weeks after being wounded in a shooting, died on October 16 at Siyambalangamuwa in Galgamuwa. On the afternoon of October 17, mainstream media reported on his post-mortem examination and the religious rites held before his burial.
The footage showed Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa at the site, where Buddhist monks performed religious rites for the dead tusker, including ‘pansukula’. ‘Pansukula’ is the Buddhist funeral rite in which a white cloth is offered to monks and merit is transferred to the departed. Premadasa also posted photos on his Facebook page, saying he joined the monks in the ‘pansukula’ rites and shared merit in honour of Kawanthissa.
No media outlet reported Kawanthissa’s last rites being held with flower decorations and lit lamps, as the social media posts suggested. The reports make it clear that his last rites were performed according to Buddhist custom.
We therefore looked further into what the viral footage actually showed.
The video shows the last rites of Pallattu Brahmadathan in Kerala, India
A reverse image search and keyword search of frames from the viral video led us to several videos of the last rites of Pallattu Brahmadathan, an elephant from Kerala, India. Among them, this reel, posted on October 5, 2026, by a Kerala-based Facebook account with a condolence message in Malayalam, contained the very same scene.
The frame at around 25 seconds in that reel matched the frame at around 1:17 in the video circulating on Facebook. The orange cloth, the white garland, the flower-covered tusk, the rope barrier, the two lamps on a tray and the people in the background all appeared in exactly the same positions. The viral video had simply zoomed in on the scene. Our comparison also showed that the last 30 seconds or so of the viral video matched, frame by frame, the section between 19 and 38 seconds of the original.
On the same day, October 5, Kerala’s Asianet News channel published a news video on YouTube showing the same last rites from a different angle.
Indian media reported that the elephant was 54-year-old Pallattu Brahmadathan, used in religious festivals in Kerala, who died after being struck by lightning on October 4 this year while tethered near his owner’s house in Melampara, Kottayam district. People from many areas came to pay their last respects, and after his cremation his ashes were immersed in the Bharathapuzha River on October 8, according to reports here and here.
The frame comparison below confirms that the footage presented on social media as Kawanthissa’s last rites actually shows the funeral of Pallattu Brahmadathan.
A temple elephant in India and a wild elephant in Sri Lanka are laid to rest differently
Brahmadathan was not a wild elephant, but a tame one used in religious festivals. Kerala media reported that he was cremated on the Pallattu family estate, and that his ashes were immersed in the Bharathapuzha River on October 8.
Tame elephants used in religious ceremonies in Sri Lanka have also received special honors, both in life and after death. When Nadungamuwa Raja died in 2022, the then President directed that he be named a national treasure, and steps were taken to preserve his body for future generations.
The situation is different when the death of a wild elephant such as Kawanthissa is part of a criminal investigation. The body and its parts can then be treated as evidence. In such a case, the post-mortem, the protection of evidence and the disposal of the body must follow the relevant legal procedures and court orders.
These comparisons spread at a time when the authorities were being criticized over alleged lapses and negligence in Kawanthissa’s treatment, and over the way his body was buried.
The head and tusks were kept separately because of a court order and the investigation
Kawanthissa’s death is part of an investigation into a shooting, and his last rites were carried out under a court order. On October 17, the Galgamuwa Magistrate’s Court ordered that, after the post-mortem, the body be buried securely on land belonging to the Department of Wildlife Conservation so that the tusks could be recovered later, and that the site be guarded. Details here.
A letter sent by the Deputy Minister of Environment’s office to the Department of Government Information on October 19 stated that the tusks had been removed together with the skull, because the court order required both to be produced in court together. Since the flesh on the head would take about two months to decompose naturally, the head was to be buried on the premises of the Meegalewa Wildlife Office under 24-hour security, then exhumed, cleaned and produced in court. The letter added that once the case ends, the tusks and skull could be handed over to the National Museum with the court’s permission.
Investigations into Kawanthissa’s death are still under way
After Kawanthissa died, two people suspected of shooting him were arrested and remanded until October 28. The President appointed an expert committee to report within 30 days on the direct and indirect causes of the death and any shortcomings in his treatment. On October 23, the Opposition handed the Speaker a motion calling for a special parliamentary select committee to investigate the death. The case against the suspects was due to be called again on October 28. Details here, here and here.
Our earlier fact-checks on viral posts after Kawanthissa’s death
Tusker Kawanthissa: Viral Posts Quoting the Minister, PM, President and Officials Are Fake
Kawanthissa’s Eight Calves Photo? No, It Shows a Chinese Elephant Herd From 2021
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Conclusion:
Our fact-check found that the video shared on social media as the last rites of the tusker Kawanthissa does not show Kawanthissa at all. It shows the funeral of Pallattu Brahmadathan, a temple festival elephant in Kerala, India, who died after being struck by lightning on October 4. The original reel from a Kerala Facebook account and an Asianet News report, both from October 5, carry the same scenes.
Kawanthissa received Buddhist rites, including ‘pansukula’, before his body was buried on October 17. Because of the Galgamuwa court order and the ongoing investigation, officials kept his head and tusks separately. Investigations continue into who shot Kawanthissa and whether there were lapses in his treatment.
