Guwahati: Five-year-old female elephant Durga, transported nearly 3,000 km from Assam, reached the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, on Monday (September 14), coinciding with Ganesh Chaturthi.
According to Tamil media reports, temple staff and devotees welcomed Durga upon her arrival by showering her with flower petals.
Durga is owned by Assam resident Punya Pegu of Laika forest village under Guijan police station in Tinsukia district. She was transported from Manas National Park in Assam to the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai.
While the temple authorities have welcomed Durga’s arrival, the transfer has come amid continuing controversy over the relocation of five captive elephants from Assam to temples and religious institutions in Tamil Nadu.
A key question that has emerged is whether the elephants were purchased or donated.
Reports by Tamil media outlet Vikatan and other local sources have stated that the Tamil Nadu government purchased five elephants from Assam for temples functioning under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. Durga is one of the five elephants and has been allotted to the Meenakshi Amman Temple.
Also read: Assam Forest dept under fire over secret elephant transfer from Manas
However, during proceedings before the Madras High Court concerning the proposed transfer, the elephants were described as being donated to temples in Tamil Nadu.
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has also indicated that the process of donating the other four elephants to various temples and religious institutions was underway.
The apparent contradiction between “purchase” and “donation” has raised questions over the circumstances in which the elephants were transferred. If the elephants were indeed purchased, questions arise over how such a transaction could have taken place in view of restrictions on the commercial sale and purchase of elephants.
Madras High Court proceedings
The transfer comes against the backdrop of recent proceedings before the Madras High Court concerning the movement of captive elephants to temples in Tamil Nadu.
Chennai-based organisation Seva Trust had approached the High Court challenging the proposed donation of five elephants from Assam to temples in Tamil Nadu.
During the proceedings, the court was informed that the transfer of Durga to the Meenakshi Amman Temple had received clearance, while applications concerning the other four elephants were pending. The court directed the State to take a decision on the pending applications within a week.
On September 2, a division bench of the Madras High Court struck down an earlier state-wide bar preventing temples from purchasing or receiving captive elephants as donations.
The court held that temples could accept donated elephants subject to the necessary permissions and compliance with safety norms under the Tamil Nadu Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2011.
Assam clears Durga’s transfer
The transfer of Durga was preceded by a series of official communications in Assam.
On September 4, Assam Chief Wildlife Warden Vinay Gupta asked Manas National Park Field Director Sonali Ghosh to obtain a certificate from a veterinary practitioner regarding the health and fitness of four elephants—Durga, Hiralal, Shiva and Rupsing.
The communication stated that the elephants were at that time under the veterinary care and upkeep of Manas National Park.
On September 7, Assam State Zoo DFO Ashwini Kumar issued an order authorising a four-member team from the Assam State Zoo Division to supervise the transportation of Durga from Manas National Park to the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple.
The order was issued pursuant to a communication from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife and Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam.
According to the order, Durga bears Microchip No. 0008179117 and Ownership Certificate No. 0008179117/EAC/TSK/2025, dated October 24, 2025.
The elephant was to be transported to the Meenakshi Amman Temple at Chithirai Street, Madurai Main, Madurai, in accordance with the transport permit issued by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife and Chief Wildlife Warden, Assam.
The four-member team comprised Dr Santosh Gupta, Veterinary Officer, Assam State Zoo, as team leader; Pankaj Das, Forest Guard; Nitul Rabha, Animal Keeper; and Deepak Talukdar, Driver.
The officials were directed to accompany and supervise Durga throughout the journey and ensure compliance with the conditions stipulated in the transport permit and applicable rules and directions concerning the safe handling and transportation of the elephant.
Questions over inspection and health assessment
Durga’s transfer was finalised amid continuing legal and conservation concerns over the relocation of captive elephants to temples.
According to the reports, the Madurai facility was inspected on September 4, the same day the Chief Wildlife Warden’s recommendation concerning Durga’s interstate transfer was issued.
The inspection report stated that routine health checks and fitness could not be recorded at that stage. The subsequent transfer recommendation, however, required a registered veterinarian to certify that Durga was fit to undertake the long journey.
Tamil Nadu Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra said the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for Durga’s transfer was issued the following 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,” The Hindu quoted Dogra as saying.
However, questions have been raised over the speed of the inspection and approval process.
Prakash Sasha of the Elsa Foundation told The New Indian Express that the district committees had been asked to inspect the proposed facilities at 1.30 pm on September 4, while the communication concerning Durga’s transfer was issued at 9 pm the same day.
“How was the inspection completed, and a report prepared and sent to the chief wildlife warden within seven and a half hours? This raises questions about the genuineness of the process,” he said.
Prakash also raised legal and conservation concerns over the relocation.
According to him, the 2024 transfer rules allow the transfer of an elephant when its owner is no longer able to maintain it, when the elephant would receive better upkeep at the proposed location, or when the Chief Wildlife Warden considers the transfer necessary for better upkeep.
“The life of this elephant, from freely roaming in the natural forest, will be transformed into that of an elephant chained 24 hours a day in a small shed in the temple, leading to miserable living conditions. Therefore, this provision is directly violated in this case,” he said.
Conservationists oppose transfer
The proposed relocation of the five elephants has drawn opposition from animal rights activists and conservationists in Assam.
The Centre for Research on Animal Rights (CRAR) had urged the Assam Forest Department to stop the proposed transfer of the five captive elephants to Tamil Nadu.
Assam conservationist Rohit Choudhury also wrote to the Supreme Court-appointed High Powered Committee to immediately intervene and halt the ongoing transfer, besides seeking scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the relocation of the elephants.
Particular concern has been raised over the age of two of the elephants. Both Durga and Bijuli are only five years old, and activists have questioned the decision to transport such young elephants across a distance of nearly 3,000 km for use in temple establishments.
Four other elephants
Durga is one of five elephants proposed to be transferred from Assam to Tamil Nadu. Hiralal and Shiva have been proposed for relocation to the Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai.
Rupsing, a 13-year-old male elephant, has been proposed for transfer to the Vaidyanathaswamy Temple in Mayiladuthurai. Bijuli, a five-year-old female elephant, has been proposed for transfer to a religious institution in Kanchipuram.
With Durga now having reached the Meenakshi Amman Temple, the larger questions surrounding the transfer of the five elephants remain: whether they were donated or purchased, whether the transfers fully comply with the applicable legal framework, and whether the welfare and long-term wellbeing of the elephants were adequately assessed before they were moved thousands of kilometres from Assam.