The viral pink elephant image that sparked a debate

A towering elephant, painted an impossible shade of pink, stands against the muted browns of Rajasthan. A model poses on its back. The elephant, Chanchal, as we have now learnt, holds the frame.

In this picture that went viral on the internet, some saw art, others saw discomfort. But beneath the image lay a quieter, more pressing question.. where did this elephant come from?

The answer leads to a place just outside Jaipur, along NH-248, close to where the Aravalli hills take over. Here lies Hathi Gaon, literally, the elephant village, spread across 30.5 hectares in Kunda. It is, in many ways, India’s first planned settlement for elephants and the humans who have lived alongside them for generations.

Chanchal’s story: The elephant behind the image

Chanchal was not just a viral image, an advanced age for an elephant,  and part of the Hathi Gaon ecosystem. Like many elephants in Jaipur, her life was intertwined with both tradition and tourism, with care and control existing side by side.

This relationship stretches back centuries. In India, elephants are never just animals.

In temples, in myths, in childhood stories, they appear again and again. The image of Ganesha in Hindu iconology alone has, to some extent, stitched the animal into the emotional fabric of the country.

In Rajasthan, elephants were once symbols of royalty. They carried kings into battle, and their bodies were painted in colourful designs of flowers, mandalas. Even today, that aesthetic survives.

At Hathi Gaon, body painting remains a form of grooming. 

Unlike the heavy jewellery of the past, the focus now is on colour, temporary designs that wash away. The colours are mostly organic, made with flowers and dried vegetable peels.

However, for festivals and special occasions,........

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