BY PC Bureau
For more than a year, Kolhapur waited for an elephant it had come to regard as one of its own.
In the early hours of Saturday, that wait finally ended.
Madhuri, affectionately known as Mahadevi, returned to Nandani Math in Kolhapur after spending 409 days at Vantara in Gujarat. Her arrival turned into an emotional homecoming, with thousands of villagers and devotees staying awake through the night, carrying flowers and fruit and waiting to see her step back onto familiar ground.
When the elephant finally emerged, the crowd broke into chants of “Ladki Mahadevi” — beloved daughter Mahadevi. The head of Nandani Math was visibly overcome with emotion and was seen wiping away tears.
For the people who had campaigned for her return, the moment marked the end of a long legal and public battle.
The journey to Vantara
Madhuri had lived at Nandani Jain Math since around 1992. Her removal followed concerns over her health and living conditions, including chronic foot problems, overgrown nails, arthritis, restricted mobility and distress associated with prolonged isolation and hard flooring.
The legal battle over her rehabilitation culminated in July 2025.
On 16 July 2025, the Bombay High Court directed that Madhuri be rehabilitated at Vantara’s Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust in Jamnagar.
The Supreme Court subsequently upheld the order on 28 July 2025.
She was then moved from Nandani to Gujarat. Vantara said Madhuri arrived at its facility on 30 July 2025, although some reports have given the physical transfer as occurring on the night of July 29 or referred to July 28.
What is clear is that the Supreme Court clearance came on July 28 and she was at Vantara by July 30.
409 days away
Her stay at Vantara lasted a little over 13 months.
During that period, the elephant underwent treatment and rehabilitation under veterinary supervision. Her health and living conditions became central to the debate over whether she should remain in Gujarat or return to the math where she had spent decades.
The issue eventually came back before a Supreme Court-appointed High-Powered Committee headed by retired Justice Deepak Verma.
After inspecting the upgraded facilities at Nandani, the committee ordered on 9 September 2026 that Madhuri could return to Kolhapur.
But her return came with strict conditions.
She cannot be used in processions or for any other purpose. She must receive round-the-clock care and undergo a medical examination every two weeks. Vantara veterinarians will also continue visiting her in Kolhapur every fortnight.
The order effectively sought to balance two competing concerns: Madhuri’s attachment to her familiar surroundings and mahout, and the need to ensure that the medical and welfare standards established during her rehabilitation are maintained.
The road home
The journey from Gujarat to Maharashtra was undertaken with considerable care.
A team of about 40 people from the math, along with Madhuri’s mahout, forest officials and Vantara veterinarians, accompanied her in a specially designed elephant ambulance.
According to trustee Sagar Sambushete, the convoy left Vantara at around 5 pm on Thursday, September 10.
The journey took the elephant through Gujarat and Maharashtra, passing Mumbai, Pune and the Tuljapur exit.
As word spread along the route, people gathered to catch a glimpse of her.
In several places, residents stopped the convoy and showered the ambulance with flower petals. In Pune, people reportedly gathered along the route to welcome her. By the time she approached Nandani, preparations for her arrival were already in full swing.
A truckload of fresh fruit had been arranged for her at the math.
A village waits through the night
The elephant was expected to reach Nandani around 11.30 pm on Friday, September 11.
But the crowds had begun gathering much earlier.
From around noon, people started assembling near Gandhi Chowk, determined not to miss the moment Mahadevi came home.
The convoy eventually reached the math around midnight. Madhuri was brought down from the specialised ambulance at approximately 1.30 am on Saturday.
A 42-member team, including forest officials, Vantara personnel and medical staff, helped with the operation.
The area where she will initially stay has been prepared as “Madhuri Residence.”
Then came the moment the waiting crowd had been anticipating.
As Madhuri entered the Nishidhika area of the math, people showered her with flower petals and raised chants of “Ladki Mahadevi”.
For many, it was not simply the return of an elephant. It was the return of a familiar presence that had been part of the community for decades.
Kolhapur – An unprecedented crowd turned out to welcome Madhuri as the temple elephant returned to Nandani Math after more than a year at Vantara in Jamnagar. The animal ambulance reached the Shirol tehsil village late Friday night after a long road journey from Gujarat. Devotees… pic.twitter.com/1X0A87A6mS
— NextMinute News (@nextminutenews7) September 12, 2026
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Tears, flowers and a request for rest
The head of Nandani Math, Swastishri Jinsen Bhattarak Pattacharya Mahaswami, became emotional as Madhuri returned and was seen in tears.
Vantara CEO Vihan Karani was also present, along with heads of other Jain maths, including Swastishri Dharmasen Bhattaraka of Varur and Swastishri Laxmisen Bhattaraka Mahaswami of Kolhapur.
Local leaders and former MP Raju Shetti urged people not to rush to see her.
Shetti appealed to devotees to give Madhuri two or three days to rest after the long journey.
Math officials said she would first remain in a renovated shed equipped with a water tank and be allowed to settle down and reconnect with her mahout. Public interaction would come later.
Her caretakers have also been briefed on her diet, exercise routine and medicines.
A homecoming with conditions
Madhuri’s return does not mean that the controversy surrounding her welfare has disappeared.
The conditions attached to her return make clear that her future at Nandani will be closely monitored.
The elephant will require continuous care, regular medical examinations and periodic veterinary visits from the Vantara team. She will also not be allowed to participate in religious processions or other activities that could place stress on her.
In effect, Madhuri is returning home — but under a new regime of veterinary supervision and welfare safeguards.
That may be the most important legacy of the long legal battle.
For the people of Nandani, however, the immediate meaning was simpler.
They had waited 409 days.
They stayed awake into the early hours of Saturday, carrying flowers and fruit.
And when Mahadevi finally came home, the night ended not with another court hearing or legal order, but with an elephant back on familiar ground — and a village celebrating her return.
