The daily rehearsal for elephants participating in Mysuru Dasara will intensify from Monday.
Lead elephant Abhimanyu and other male elephants of the first batch have been carrying sand-laden sacks on their back since the last few days to get used to carrying loads up to 1,050 kg.
From Monday, Abhimanyu will commence rehearsal with wooden howdah in preparation for the Jumboo Savari to be held on October 5 during which he will carry the 750 kg golden howdah with the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari.
This is part of the annual protocol for the elephants that take part in the Mysuru Dasara and the weights are gradually increased spread over a couple of weeks to enable them to get used to carrying the heavy loads.
The wooden howdah is an exact replica of the golden howdah and is used for practice. The Deputy Conservator of Forests V. Karikalan said that there will be a formal pooja for wooden howdah at 4 p.m. after which it will be hoisted on the back of the elephant Abhimanyu. The elephants will commence their march from the palace to the Bannimantap Grounds at 5 p.m.
But in the return procession, the howdah will be off the back of the elephants and this will continue daily till the conclusion of Dasara to be celebrated from September 26 to October 5.
In addition to Abhimanyu, other elephants including Mahendra, Dhananjaya and Gopalswamy will also be trained to carry the wooden howdah as a standby.
Meanwhile, the second batch of five elephants will join the first batch of nine on September 7. The elephants are being monitored on a daily basis for their health and are on a special diet to gain strength to go through the grind.
