The Forest Department has finalised a list of 14 elephants to participate in the grand finale of the 10-day Mysore Dasara which will commence on October 5. They have done this in consultation with veterinarians looking after various elephant camps in Mysore, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu districts.
The list of 14 elephants has been sent to Prabhu, PCCF, Wildlife, by DCF S N Devaraj, after it was finalised by veterinarian K S Umashankar of Nagarahole National Park and Nagaraju of Bandipur National Park as well as Dr Prayag, two days ago. The trio had visited the camps where the elephants were being looked after.
The 14 elephants which would be participating in the camp are Arjuna, Varalakshmi and Sarala from Balle Camp, Abhimanyu, Balarama and Gopalaswamy from Matthigod Camp, Srirama and Gajendra from K Gudi Camp, Harsha, Vikrama, Prashantha, Vijaya from Anekad Camp and Cauvery and Gopi from Dubare Camp.
Elephant Durga Parameshwari is also expected to join the batch after they shift to K Gudi Camp from Pilikula Biological Park in Mangalore. However Parameshwari’s participation in the procession has not been confirmed yet.
Gaja Payana, the journey of elephants to Mysore from the forest, will start on August 28 at Nagapura, Nagarahole National Park.
The elephants will participate in the Dasara rehearsals and stay in the Sandalwood Yard at Ashokpuram in Mysore, temporarily.
The elephants will be given a warm reception on August 30 at Jayamarthanda Gate, the entrance of the Mysore Palace, by the district administration.
In the first batch, six elephants — Balarama, Arjuna, Gajendra, Sarala, Varalakshmi and Abhimanyu will arrive. The remaining will come in the second batch, a few days later.
Arjuna, a gigantic elephant, will carry the golden howdah this year too on Vijayadashami, the last of the 10-day Dasara, which is considered ‘Nada Habba,’ and draws lakhs of tourists from around the world.
Last year, there were speculations over carrying the golden howdah, till Arjuna was finalised, as his predecessor Balarama was not fit due to age-related problems. There was criticism over the participation of Kanthi in last year’s Dasara procession, due to her age and wide ears. She was dropped from the list this year.
Sarala and Varalakshmi, who did not participate last year as they gave birth, will be part of this year’s procession. Once these elephants reach Mysore palace, they will be fed a special diet and their health will be monitored regularly.
All elephants will participate in the rehearsal for the procession every morning and evening.
