Kolhapur: Thousands Take Part In Silent March Demanding Return Of Elephant Mahadevi To Nandani Jain Math

Protests have started in Maharashtra over the transfer of female elephant Mahadevi (also known as Madhuri) from Shri Jinsen Bhattarak Pattacharya Mahaswami Jain ‘math’ (monastery) in Kolhapur to Anant Ambani’s Vantara’s Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust in Jamnagar. Now, in another significant development to this case, according to PTI, thousands of people have participated in a ‘silent march’ in Kolhapur on August 03, 2025, Sunday. They have demanded that 36-year-old female elephant Mahadevi be brought back from Vantara wildlife rescue, treatment, and rehabilitation centre in Gujarat’s Jamnagar district.

Vantara is a brainchild of Anant Ambani and supported by Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation. 

Who is leading this march?

Former MP Raju Shetty led the march, which began from Nandani, a village located in Shirol tehsil of Kolhapur district in Maharashtra, India in the morning. It culminated outside the district collectorate. At the district collectorate, a memorandum was given to the authorities to facilitate the elephant’s return.

Mahayuti alliance took part in the march 

According to the Hindustan Times, not only the locals and the former MP Raju Shetty, the leaders from the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Kolhapur also took part in this march. The leaders marched for 45 km from the shrine to the collector’s office and demanded that Mahadevi be brought back. This was followed by Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he would hold a meeting on this on August 05, 2025, Tuesday.

Mahadevi elephant suffers from these ailments 

As per PTI, Mahadevi was reportedly brought from Karnataka to the Kolhapur math in 1992 when she was around three years old. She had allegedly killed the chief priest in 2017 by repeatedly slamming him against a wall. Also, the female elephant suffers from foot rot, overgrown toenails, arthritis, and stereotypic behaviour such as constant head bobbing. This is a sign of psychological trauma due to long-term solitary captivity.

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