The Dasara elephants on Tuesday, September 5, received a ceremonial reception as they entered the palace premises here to participate in the festivities that will commence in October.
Eight elephants that arrived here from their jungle camps after a grand flagging off event – Gajapayana – on the outskirts of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve on September 1 and camped on the premises of Aranya Bhavan, were accorded traditional welcome when they arrived at the palace. Tusker Arjuna, which also arrived in the first batch on September 1, was not present at the reception as it was sent to the operation being carried out in H.D. Kote for capturing the tiger. It will join the jumbos after the tiger capture operation was done.
Minister in charge of Mysuru district H.C. Mahadevappa, accompanied by elected representatives and officials, greeted the caparisoned elephants led by Abhimanyu, which carries the golden howdah, at the Jayamarthanda Gate of the palace, at a programme organised by the district administration and the Mysuru Palace Board.
Flowers were showered on the elephants as they stepped into the palace premises with their mahouts and kavadis. As the priests performed rituals like Ganapathi Puja, Dwarapalaka Puja, Chamara Seve to welcome the jumbos, cultural troupes performed giving festive vibes to the event. A lot of people, including tourists, had gathered at the palace to cheer the elephants that majestically marched to the forecourt of the palace from Jayamarthanda Gate amidst the performance of cultural and folk troupes and police band.
At the palace forecourt, the Minister distributed ration and essential kits to mahouts and kavadis and their family members, who will stay and look after the elephants residing in makeshift tents in the palace vicinity. The elephants were fed sugarcane, jaggery and other eatables after they were welcomed.
The first batch of jumbos includes Abhimanyu, Bheema, Gopi, Arjuna, Dhananjaya, Varalakshmi, Vijaya, Mahendra and Kanjan.
Earlier, the elephants marched to the palace from Aranya Bhavan, traversing through Ballal Circle, Ramaswamy Circle and other locations. A puja was accorded to the jumbos by the Forest Department before their departure from the premises.
Grand affair
Later, speaking to reporters, the Minister said this year’s Dasara celebrations will be a grand affair and the festivities will be conducted in an orderly and impressive manner. The district administration, the police and the palace board have been given specific responsibilities on the arrangements.
He said the elephants’ training will be conducted under the tight police security and more than 30 temporary sheds had been built in the palace vicinity for accommodating the mahouts and their family members. They will get food and other facilities until their stay here, he added.
Besides providing the facilities for their stay here, their children, who have accompanied them to Mysuru from their hamlets and will be away from their schools for over one and half months, will get school education as a tent school will be started so that they do not miss their classes, Mahadevappa said.
Until their stay here, classes will be taken to them by teachers deputed to the makeshift school, he added.
Mayor Shivakumar, MLAs K. Harish Gowda, T.S. Srivatsa, Pratap Simha, MP, Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra, and senior officials were present.
