Udupi Sri Krishna Temple Elephant shifted to Hirekal Math-Honnali for Mating
The elephant of Sri Krishna Mutt/Temple was shifted from here to Hirekal Mutt at Honnali in Davangere district on Monday- It is to help it find a partner there and have a calf. The 28-year-old pachyderm, Subhadra, was shifted in a truck in the presence of the staff of Department of Forests and representatives of both the mutts. The truck left Udupi at 3.30 a.m. and reached Honnali during the day.
Administrative Officer of Sri Krishna MathTemple Prahlad P.R. told Media that Subhadra was shifted on the advice of the officers of the Forest Department. A letter from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to shift the pachyderm was received by the Sri Krishna Math here on September 27. This was followed by consultations between the representatives of both the mutts. The officers of the Forest Department were of the opinion that the female elephant should be shifted to Honnali so that it could mate with a male elephant and have a calf. Accordingly, Subhadra was shifted to Honnali, he said.
The Hirekal Math was located in about 40 acres of land with paddy and sugarcane fields, with a river flowing nearby. This provided the right kind of atmosphere for elephants to live. “Subhadra is owned by the Sri Krishna Math/Temple and hence, can be brought back anytime,” Prahlad said.
Subhadra usually participates in religious processions of the Sri Krishna MathTemple at the Car Street, Udupi.