Kerala restricts temple elephant processions only to registered festivals

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Forest Department has issued strict directives after incidents of unauthorised elephant processions at certain temples in the state. Conducting an elephant procession without permission will now lead to legal action against the festival committee.

Under the new rules, temples planning to include elephants in their festival processions must have prior registration. Permission will not be granted for new festivals and existing festivals which have not been previously registered.

The organisers must obtain prior approval from the Assistant Conservator of Forests, Social Forestry division.

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Strict adherence to the Kerala Captive Elephant (Management and Maintenance) Rules is mandatory even for registered festivals. These include a minimum ₹25 lakh worth of insurance coverage, and the presence of an Elephant Squad if more than five elephants are involved at the venue. Temples cannot include more elephants than permitted at the time of registration.

Any violations will result in legal action under the elephant management safety rules which fall under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

A long-standing controversial issue

Elephant processions, a traditional feature of many temple festivals in Kerala, have long been controversial due to repeated incidents of mismanagement resulting in the animals running amok and posing risks to public safety. Last year, the Supreme Court intervened to stay a Kerala High Court interim order that directed the state government to mandate a three-metre distance between elephants paraded at such festivals.

In March 2025, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) announced that elephants would be replaced by chariots in temple processions, with the animals used solely for ceremonial purposes.