Mysuru: With 38 days remaining for the grand Dasara Jumbo Savari, the second batch of three elephants arrived at the Mysuru Palace premises on Sunday, joining the first batch already undergoing training for the annual procession.
Elephants Sugreeva, Roopa and Chaithra were accorded a traditional welcome at the Jayamarthanda Gate of the Mysuru Palace premises at 4.24 pm amid the tunes of mangala vaadya.
The elephants from the first batch, Mahendra and Ekalavya, also joined the welcome ceremony.
Traditional welcome for elephants
DCF Wildlife, Mysuru Division and in-charge of Dasara elephants I B Prabhugowda received the three elephants and performed the customary puja.
Mysuru Palace Board Deputy Director T S Subramanya, ACP H M Chandrashekar, former Mayor Sandesh Swamy, RFO Yeshma Machamma and veterinarian Adarsh were among those present during the rituals.
The elephants were offered floral tributes and fed sugarcane, fruits and traditional delicacies including chakkali, kajjaya, kodubale and karjikai.
The elephants then proceeded towards the palace along with their caretakers before reaching their designated camp.
The caretakers accompanying the elephants were also honoured with a shalya as part of the traditional welcome.
Mysuru Palace Ganesha Temple priest S V Prahlad Rao conducted the rituals.
The arrival attracted members of the public and tourists, who gathered at the palace premises to catch a glimpse of the elephants.
Training to begin after Ganesha Chaturthi
Prabhugowda said the elephants would be given a day’s rest on Monday on the occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi.
A special puja will also be offered to the elephants on the festival day.
The weight of the three newly arrived elephants will be checked, following which their formal training is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
The training will prepare the elephants for the various requirements of the Dasara procession, including crowd movement, noise, route familiarisation and carrying loads.
Roopa returns for second Dasara
Roopa, 45, arrived from the Doddaharave camp of the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve with mahout Manjunatha and kavadi Manju.
Roopa was rescued from a circus company in 2016 and is participating in the Mysuru Dasara celebrations for the second time.
She participated as a Kumki elephant in last year’s procession.
Chaithra to take part for sixth time
Chaithra, 55, arrived from the Ramapura camp of Bandipur Tiger Reserve with mahout Kalim Pasha and kavadi Pratap.
She is participating in the Dasara festivities for the sixth time.
Chaithra has served as a Kumki elephant in the procession on five occasions. She was born in a forest camp.
Sugreeva joins Dasara team
Sugreeva, 44, arrived from the Dubare camp with mahout J B Shankar and kavadi Jeevan.
He is participating in Dasara for the fourth time.
Sugreeva was rescued from the Kushalnagar forest range in Kodagu district in 2016. He participated as a Saalaane elephant in last year’s procession.
With the arrival of the three elephants, preparations are now intensifying for the participation of all 12 Dasara elephants.
Training underway for first batch
The first batch of nine elephants is already undergoing intensive training.
The elephants — Srikanta, Ekalavya, Dhananjaya, Mahendra, Prashantha, Gopi, Srirama, Lakshmi and Cauvery — arrived at Aranya Bhavan in Mysuru following the grand Gajapayana event at Veeranahosahalli in Hunsur taluk on August 26.
They received a traditional welcome at the Mysuru Palace premises on August 28 and have been housed there since.
Their special diet began on August 30 after their weight was checked, while training also commenced the same day.
Initially, the elephants were familiarised with crowds, vehicle noise and the procession route from the palace to the Government Ayurveda College Circle until September 4.
From September 5, they have been taken along the entire procession route up to Bannimantap.
Elephants trained to carry heavy loads
Special attention is being given to training the male elephants to carry the heavy load associated with the golden howdah.
The gaadi, made of hay, the namda made of coconut fibre, the charjam or iron cradle and the 750-kg golden howdah together weigh approximately 1,000 kg.
Training for some male elephants to carry a load of around 1,000 kg began on September 6.
According to Prabhugowda, Mahendra and Dhananjaya have so far been trained to carry 700 kg.
Other male elephants, including Prashantha, Ekalavya and Sugreeva, will also undergo weight-training exercises.
Abhimanyu to return before Dasara
Last year’s howdah elephant Abhimanyu will arrive about 15 days before the Dasara festivities.
Although Abhimanyu turned 60 in April and has been relieved from heavy duties, he will continue to play a special role in the celebrations.
He will participate as the Nishaane elephant, marking an honourable and majestic farewell for the veteran elephant.
His continued presence is expected to be a special attraction during this year’s Dasara celebrations.
Public urged to maintain distance
With the training of all 12 elephants set to intensify, forest officials have appealed to the public to exercise caution around the animals.
Conservator of Forests, Mysuru Circle S S Ravishankar urged people to maintain a safe distance from the elephants and remain calm during training sessions.
He also advised the public against shouting, cheering or otherwise disturbing the elephants while they are being trained.
The officials emphasised that public cooperation will be important as the elephants gradually become accustomed to the crowds, traffic, sounds and activities associated with the Dasara procession.
With the second batch now at the palace and preparations progressing steadily, the Dasara elephant training programme has entered another important phase ahead of the grand Jumbo Savari.