5-year-old elephant Durga arrives at Madurai temple after 3,000-km journey from Assam

Five-year-old elephant Durga reached the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai after travelling over 3,000 km from Assam. Her arrival on Vinayaka Chaturthi followed court relief and Forest Department clearance.

A five-year-old female elephant named Durga arrived at the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai on Tuesday, coinciding with Vinayaka Chaturthi, marking the latest addition to the temple’s animal residents.

Durga travelled nearly 3,000 kilometres from Assam before reaching Tamil Nadu. As she arrived at the temple premises, staff and devotees welcomed her by showering flowers.

The Meenakshi Amman Temple already had a female elephant named Parvathi. Durga was brought in following permission from the forest department, which cleared her transfer from Assam to the temple.

Her arrival came after a recent ruling by the Madras High Court Bench set aside an earlier single-judge order that had barred temples from purchasing elephants or receiving them as donations.

Following the court ruling, the forest department granted permission for Durga to be brought to the Meenakshi Amman Temple.

Durga was not the only recent addition to the temple. A camel had also been purchased and brought to the temple a few days earlier.

The young elephant’s arrival on Vinayaka Chaturthi received the attention of devotees, who gathered to welcome her as she was brought into the temple premises.