AI Onam: Kerala’s Maveli takes a robo avatar this year

Bengaluru: Legend has that Mahabali returns to Kerala every Onam. This year, he’s back in an AI avatar, too.

Robomaveli, a robotic version of Mahabali, is turning heads at a Kochi mall. But the makeover goes beyond the mythical king. Pookalams, the floral rangolis that are central to the celebrations, to Onam games, Kerala’s biggest festival is going digital.

Unitree G1 Edu, an AI-powered humanoid robot developed by Chinese firm Unitree Robotics, dressed as Mahabali, or Maveli, greets visitors at Kochi’s Forum Mall and has gained traction on social media.


“We came across videos of the World Humanoid Robotics Game in Beijing and thought, why can’t we have something robotic for our Onam celebrations…That is how Robomaveli was introduced,” said Jeethin Retnakaran, senior manager, marketing communications, at the mall.

Robomaveli will interact with customers and dance to Chenda Melam until Thiruvonam, the most auspicious day on the Onam calendar, on Wednesday.

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“Robomaveli has attracted a lot of footfalls to the mall. People are coming to the mall just to interact with the new Maveli,” Jeethin said.

The mall rented the robot from Kerala-based robot-as-a-service company Rentobot. The company is now getting many enquiries from brands and institutions, said Rashid KP, Rentobot’s cofounder and CEO.

Maveli.ai, a chatbot developed by ZenturioTech, a startup based at Thiruvananthapuram’s Technopark, is another digital Onam hit. Launched in 2025, the Malayalam-speaking chatbot became particularly popular among NRIs.

“Though we did not promote it this year, users are still returning and asking for more features,” said CEO Ajisha Bhasi. A revamped version of the chatbot will go live on August 26, Bhasi said.

Traditional games are also going digital. Software and robotics startup AJU ED Solutions developed a suite of digital games as part of the government’s Onam celebrations at Kanakakunnu Palace in the state capital. These include the flagship game, Maveli v/s Vamanan — an interactive football game aimed at school students based on the mythological story of Maveli and the dwarf sage Vamanan.

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“We want to merge culture with technology. The younger generation is more inclined towards technology and less keen on understanding our traditions. So, we developed digital Onam games to lure them into learning about our festivities,” said founder and CEO Aju JS.

The startup also developed AI-based games such as Sadhya, where players score points by placing digital dishes correctly on a banana leaf, and Oonjal, which uses hand gestures to control the swing.

Pookalam, too, has taken a digital avatar. Manglish Keyboard (Desh Keyboard) launched an online portal where users can design their own flower rangolis. Launched on August 18, the initiative has already crossed half a million digital pookalams, said Adheena Ashfaque, brand and partnership lead at the company.