A week after their arrival in Mysuru for the festivities, the Dasara elephants began their routine training on Friday, as they were taken on the Jamboo Savari route till Bannimantap here. They marched on the route with their mahouts and kavadis amidst the watchful eyes of the forest officials.
Led by tusker Abhimanyu who will carry the golden howdah, the elephants marched from the palace through K.R. Circle, Sayyaji Rao Road, Bamboo Bazaar, Highway Circle and Nelson Mandela Road before stopping at the Torchlight Parade Grounds. Henceforth, the training sessions will be held twice a day.
Prior to their routine training, the elephants, for a couple of days, were taken around the palace to be acclimatized to the surroundings as they would be staying in the vicinity for over 1.5 months until the culmination of the festivities. Temporary sheds have been constructed on the premises for the mahouts and their family members.
The jumbo weight-checking exercise was done before their training session.
The Dasara elephants and their staff have also been protected under an insurance cover which is done every year ahead of the festivities. The premium towards the policy has been paid by the Forest Department.
The first batch of jumbos includes Abhimanyu, Bheema, Gopi, Arjuna, Dhananjaya, Varalakshmi, Vijaya, Mahendra and Kanjan. It arrived on September 1. The elephants were camping on the premises of Aranya Bhavan on their arrival in trucks from Veeranahosahalli Gate in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve from where the Gajapayana was flagged off in an impressive event held amidst a large number of people.
The elephants were welcomed into the palace on September 5 during a ceremonial reception.
