Mysuru: Preparations for the world-famous Mysuru Dasara is gaining momentum. The acclimatisation drill that began on Monday September 20 continued for the second day.
On the first day, it was Abhimanyu, the leader of the pack, who practised with sandbags on his back. On the second day, Dhananjaya practised with sandbags weighing 400 kgs at the Palace premises. The other seven elephants also joined Dhananjaya in the drill. Only three elephants practised with sandbags on their backs. On Wednesday September 22 Gopalaswamy will be trained with sandbags. The weight of the sandbags will be gradually increased so as to help the jumbos get used to the weight of the golden howdah.
Cannon firing drill was also held at the Palace premises. Cannons will be fired 21 times during the Jamboo Savari and the rehearsal is held to make jumbos get familiar with the sound.
Around 150 personnel were part of the exercise.