5-year-old elephant from Assam arrives at Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple

A five-year-old female elephant named Durga arrived at the famous Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai from Assam on Vinayaka Chaturthi, bringing joy to devotees as preparations for the temple’s Kumbabhishekam are under way.
The temple hosts festivals throughout the year, during which elephants, camels, horses and other ceremonial animals traditionally take part in processions. The temple, which once had seven elephants, currently has only one elephant, Parvathi.
Following a request for an additional elephant and subsequent government approval, five elephants were brought from Assam for various temples in Tamil Nadu, including the Meenakshi Amman Temple.
Durga arrived at the temple around 2 a.m. on Vinayaka Chaturthi after a three-day journey covering nearly 3,000 km from Manas National Park in Assam. Temple Sthanika priests performed special pujas and deeparadhana for the elephant, while temple staff welcomed it by showering flowers. The temple had earlier received two camels from Rajasthan on September 9 through devotees. The arrival of Durga, particularly ahead of the Kumbabhishekam, has brought happiness among devotees.
The temple previously had several elephants, but their numbers gradually declined.
The temple’s Parvathi elephant had been facing health issues, prompting devotees to seek an additional elephant.
The arrival of five-year-old Durga is expected to provide companionship and support for the temple’s ceremonial activities.