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ISKCON Relocates Elephants
The two resident elephants of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) have been moved, a major step that reflects a growing dedication to animal care. Authorities sent two female elephants from the Iskcon temple in Mayapur, Nadia, to the Vantara animal rescue and rehabilitation center in Jamnagar.
PETA India heartily supports the trend of Indian temples replacing live elephants with mechanical ones, which is in line with this decision. On April 6, 2024, Bishnupriya, one of the elephants, killed a mahout by crushing it. While attempting to save his colleague, Lakshmipriya, another mahout riding the other elephant, suffered injuries. The group utilized the elephants to transport the deity Radha-Madhav across the temple compound on Saturdays.
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More About Relocation of ISKCON’s Elephants
The rites and processions of the Mayapur temple had relied heavily on the two female elephants, Vishnupriya and Laxmipriya, who were 18 and 26 years old, respectively. However, temple officials reexamined the safety and morality of maintaining live elephants after a terrible event in April 2023 in which Vishnupriya fatally attacked her mahout.
The Mayapur Executive Board unanimously agreed in April 2024 to move the elephants for the protection of pilgrims, employees, and devotees. The Vantara facility, run by Reliance Industries, provides a sanctuary with state-of-the-art medical treatment and roomy habitats designed to meet the requirements of animals that have been rescued and treated.
In keeping with their spiritual convictions, Hrimati Devi Dasi, a senior member of the ISKCON temple and manager of mahouts and elephants in Mayapur, highlighted the organization’s dedication to compassion and respect for all living things.
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PETA May Donate Mechanical Elephant to Temple
PETA India has been aggressively advocating for the usage of life-size mechanical elephants in temples in tandem with ISKCON’s decision in an effort to stop the cruelty that is frequently inflicted on live animals used in rituals.
A mechanical elephant named Kombara Kannan was gifted to the Kombara Sreekrishna Swami Temple in Thrissur, Kerala, at the beginning of 2025 by PETA India in association with two-time Grammy nominee and well-known sitarist Anoushka Shankar. By making this gesture, the temple demonstrated its dedication to neither owning nor renting living elephants.
Mechanical Elephant Significance
In South India, the use of mechanical elephants is becoming more and more popular. At least seven mechanical elephants have been donated to temples that have vowed to stop using real animals in their ceremonies since 2023, thanks to PETA India. Since these artificial replacements are made to carry out all the ceremonial tasks, actual elephants may live freely in their native environments.
Prasanth Puthuvelil, an artist who works with PETA India, creates stunning lifelike 11-foot mechanical elephants. Devotees and onlookers may have a realistic experience as his inventions mimic the look and actions of real elephants, including traits like head-swaying and trunk-raising.
Final Words
A revolutionary change in customs that strikes a balance between ethical and cultural legacy is shown by the relocation of ISKCON’s elephants and the growing use of mechanical elephants in temples. Although some traditionalists contend that religious ceremonies require real elephants, the successful incorporation of artificial elephants shows that cultural traditions may be upheld while also advancing animal welfare.
Given that violent episodes can present serious hazards to handlers and the general public, this movement also addresses safety issues related to the keeping of living elephants in captivity. Temples are able to carry on with their ceremonies without putting human lives in peril or exposing animals to confinement and possible abuse by adopting technological substitutes.
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