Padma Shri awardee, actor, and MP St. Hema Malini and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) have donated a life-size mechanical elephant to ISKCON Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, the 2nd largest ISKCON temple in Asia, making it the first ISKCON temple and the first religious institution in Maharashtra to welcome a mechanical elephant. Today, Smt. Hema Malini and President of ISKCON Kharghar Shri Sura Das Ji unveiled Gajendra, in the presence of Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Panvel Shri Prashant Thakur, dignitaries and temple devotees.
The President of ISKCON Kharghar, Shri Sura Das, says, “In the Bhagavad Gita (5.18), Lord Krishna teaches us to see all living beings with equal vision. Protecting animals—dear to Lord Krishna and Lord Ganesha—is our dharma.” He added, “A mechanical elephant allows us to honour our traditions while upholding the principle of ahimsa (non-violence). By embracing a mechanical elephant, we align with Krishna’s teachings of love, devotion, and care for all creatures.”
The founder Acharya of ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada taught that animals have souls and are God’s creatures deserving compassion, with similarities to humans in their basic needs like eating, sleeping, and defending themselves. He considered killing animals for food to be a form of violence, arguing that a truly spiritual civilization would protect animals and allow them to live natural lives, while cow protection was especially vital for a Vedic culture.
The mechanical marvel that will be used to conduct ceremonies at ISKCON Kharghar in a safe and cruelty-free manner, helping real elephants stay with their families in their jungle homes. The initiative was facilitated by PETA India in recognition of ISKCON Kharghar’s decision to never own or hire live elephants. The mechanical elephant was welcomed through an inauguration ceremony, and ISKCON Kharghar hosted a kirtan performance.
The legendary Hema Malini is well-known for her efforts to protect animals. She featured in a campaign urging the public to eat meat-free for PETA India and spoke up about the need for stronger laws to protect animals in parliament, among other initiatives. Hema Malini says, “As a longtime devotee of Lord Krishna, a proud member of ISKCON, and an animal lover, I am honoured to join PETA India in gifting ISKCON Kharghar a mechanical elephant.” She added, “This modern approach allows us to continue age-old traditions while ensuring real elephants remain in jungles with their families as God intended.”
PETA India’s Vice President of Celebrity and Public Relations and ISKCON Life Patron Sachin Bangera says, “Hinduism teaches us compassion for animals. Mechanical elephant Gajendra is an expression of our values of ahimsa and reverence for all life.”
MLA from Panvel Shri Prashant Thakur says, “It is a proud moment for Navi Mumbai that Asia’s second-largest ISKCON temple at Kharghar is setting an example for the world by combining tradition with modernity and compassion. By adopting a mechanical elephant, the temple is showing how faith and technology can go together to protect animals and continue our culture. This thoughtful initiative by ISKCON and PETA India truly reflects Maharashtra’s progressive spirit and India’s values of ahimsa and empathy.”
MLA from Belapur, Smt. Manda Vijay Mhatre conveyed her wishes, “This initiative beautifully demonstrates how our temples can uphold the sanctity of rituals while embracing kindness towards all living beings. I congratulate ISKCON Kharghar, Hema Malini ji and PETA India for leading this compassionate change. Lord Krishna’s teachings inspire us to love and protect every creature, and this mechanical elephant is a shining example of that divine compassion in action.”
Elephants are intelligent, active, and gregarious wild animals. In captivity, they are trained to be used in processions through beatings, the use of weapons and force. Most elephants held captive in temples and other places suffer from excruciating foot problems and leg wounds due to chaining to concrete for hours on end. Most are denied adequate food, water, veterinary care, and any semblance of a natural life. Under these hellish conditions, many elephants become intensely frustrated and lash out, sometimes killing mahouts or other humans or animals. According to figures compiled by the Heritage Animal Task Force, captive elephants killed 526 people in Kerala in a 15-year period. Thechikkottukavu Ramachandran, who has been in captivity for about 40 years and is one of the most often used elephants in Kerala’s festival circuit, has reportedly killed 13 individuals – six mahouts, four women, and three elephants.
In 2024, at least fourteen incidents across India in which captive elephants harmed or killed their mahouts or others around them were reported. Within the first few months of 2025, sixteen captive elephants in Kerala alone used for processions and festivals became upset and killed six people on different occasions, injuring many others, or damaged property.
PETA India ignited the sympathetic movement to replace the use of live elephants by religious institutions at the beginning of 2023. Now, at least twenty mechanical elephants are used in temples across India. PETA India has donated fourteen to recognise temples’ decisions to never own or hire live elephants.
Mechanical elephants are 3 meters tall and weigh 800 kilograms. They are made with rubber, fibre, metal, mesh, foam, and steel and run on five motors. A mechanical elephant looks, feels, and can be used like a real elephant. It can shake its head, move its ears and eyes, swish its tail, lift its trunk, and even spray water. They can be climbed upon, and a seat can be affixed on the back. They can be operated simply by plugging and playing with electricity. They can be taken through the streets and are mounted on a wheelbase, allowing them to be moved and pushed around for rituals and processions.
The internationally renowned ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Temple is in the Navi Mumbai neighbourhood of Kharghar, a unique cultural and Vedic educational centre. ISKCON Kharghar is Asia’s second-largest ISKCON temple. Its complex spans nine acres and includes a college for Vedic education, a library, an Ayurvedic health center, a cow shelter, an ashram for senior residents, a Vedic Museum, an organic garden, and a cultural center.
