Devotees at a temple in South India survived a major scare after an elephant ran amok.

The elephant, Ramu, had been brought out for a ceremonial parade at Edappal temple near Mallapuram, Kerala, on January 20.

The elephant is a major draw at the annual ‘Kulangara Pooram’ festival, in which thousands of devotees take part.

But its mahuts failed to notice that the male tusker was in ‘musth’ and allowed the animal, with a priest perched on top, into the crowd.

The noise and the crowd agitated Ramu further, who ran amok, making devotees flee for their lives.

But before the elephant could trample upon anyone, mahuts managed to bring the elephant under control.

A local resident Jayaraman Nair said: “Though the elephant had been chained, it managed to run amok. It should never have brought out for the parade.”

Bull elephants turn aggressive when they are in ‘musth,’ caused by periodic surge in their testosterone levels.