Video of Three-Headed Elephant from Thailand Viral as From Kumbh Mela in UP

Fact-check: A video from Thailand is going viral to falsely claim that it shows a three-headed elephant at Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela 2025.

(Photo: The Quint)

A video is going viral on social media which shows a 'three-headed elephant'.

Users sharing this video are claiming that this elephant will be a part of Maha Kumbh Mela which is happening in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

This event will be held from 13 January to 26 February.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(Archives similar to the claim can be seen here and here.)

What's the truth?: The claim is false, this clip is not from Uttar Pradesh.

• This video shows an elephant wearing two additional heads at Thailand’s Ayutthaya Khon Festival which represented Erawan, the divine elephant in the Thai culture.

How did we find out the truth?: We performed a reverse image search on some of the keyframes of the viral video which led us to a YouTube video shared 31 May 2024.

• This YouTube video matched with the viral one and was shared by a Thai vlogger, '@LOVE-6395'.

• The description stated that the video shows preparations for the 5th Ayutthaya Khon Festival, a celebration of the Ayutthaya culture in Thailand.

• Taking a cue, we performed a relevant keyword search on Google and found similar videos of three-headed elephants in processions during the Ayutthaya Khon Festival at Wat Mahathat.

• These can be found here, here, here, and, here.

• It also clearly shows an elephant adorning two extra prosthetic heads to represent Erawan, a divine elephant in the Thai culture. Erawan is also considered to be a vehicle serving Hindu deity, Indra.

Conclusion: A video from Thailand is going viral to claim that it shows a three-headed elephant in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela 2025.

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