Young elephant ‘Durga’ from Assam to reach Madurai Meenakshi temple; activists raise concerns over transfer

A five-year-old elephant named ‘Durga’ from Assam is being brought to the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple in Tamil Nadu and is expected to reach the temple late on Sunday (September 13, 2026). The transfer, cleared by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department last week, comes amid recent proceedings before the Madras High Court over the movement of captive elephants to temples in the State.

Tamil Nadu Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra said the ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) for the transfer was issued last week. “Before the NOC, the District Captive Elephant Management Committee inspected the premises and checked the availability of facilities such as mud bath, water bath and walking space,” he said.

Chennai-based organisation Seva Trust had approached the High Court over the proposed donation of the five elephants from Assam to temples in Tamil Nadu. During those proceedings, the court was informed that the transfer to Meenakshi temple had received clearance, while the applications concerning the other four were pending. The court directed the State to take a decision on the pending applications within a week and posted the matter for September 16.

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According to Mr. Dogra, applications for elephants proposed to be donated to four other temples and religious institutions are being processed. “Necessary inspections need to be done,” he said.

The five proposed destinations are Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram Mutt, Vaidyanatha Swamy Temple in Mayiladuthurai and Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram.

In a separate case, the Madras High Court on September 2, set aside State-wide directions that sought to prevent temples from acquiring captive elephants. That judgment arose from the case of elephant ‘Lalitha’ and appeals filed by the Tiruchendur temple and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

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The Division Bench held that the Tamil Nadu Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2011 already provide for temples to receive donated elephants, subject to prior permission and safeguards. It set aside the wider directions affecting temples and privately held elephants, while retaining directions concerning Lalitha’s treatment, retirement and welfare.

Activists have raised concerns over the proposed transfer, particularly the need to transport five elephants nearly 3,000 km away and the speed with which the approvals have been granted. “A video of the elephant being sent to Madurai shows it in a forest area. If the elephant is owned by an individual who claims he is unable to care for it, why was it not at his premises?,” asked Arun Prasanna of People For Cattle in India (PFCI).

The elephants being transported are all young, ranging from five to 10 years old, raising further questions among activists about the circumstances of their transfer and the possibility of a commercial transaction. “If the individual cannot take care of these baby elephants, what happens to the mother? Taking care of an adult elephant is also significantly more difficult,” Mr. Prasanna said.