Elephants led by Abhimanyu who will participate in Dasara celebrations, line up in front of Mysuru palace where they were given a grand reception, on Friday.
| Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram
The first batch of nine elephants led by Abhimanyu who arrived at the Mysuru Palace on Friday, have their task cut out for them during their sojourn in the city.
They will be weighed and subjected to routine health check up on Saturday before they are pressed into training and rehearsal which will commence on Sunday.
Deputy Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) I.B. Prabhu Goud said that the elephants will also receive a special diet during the training period. The diet comprises a mix of rice, wheat, and ragi apart from any other food that is included in the diet chart.
“Almost all elephants tend to gain weight in the runup to the Vijayadashmi procession – slated for October 12 – due to the special diet that is fed to them. But it is not mandatory to attain a certain weight. They only need to be fit to complete the task,” said Mr.Goud.
The elephants giving company to Abhimanyu include Kanjan, Ekalavya, Bheema, Lakshmi, Varalakshmi, Rohit, Dhananjaya, and Gopi. The second batch of five elephants will include Prashanth, Sugriva, Hiranya, Mahendra and Doddaharave Lakshmi and they are expected to join the other elephants in a few days from now.
The training for procession and rehearsal is mandatory to enable the elephants to get acclimatised to urban conditions and human presence. Besides, they have to be familiarised with the procession route and hence it is customary to take the elephants from palace to Bannimantap Grounds which is the route to be taken on the day of Vijayadashmi procession.
As per the standard protocol being followed since many years, elephants will also be trained to carry weight equivalent to that of the golden howdah and the ambaari – about 750 kg – in the days ahead. Gunny bags filled with sand will be mounted on cushions placed on the elephant’s back as a padding during the training period to ensure that they are fit to carry the weight.
Their performance will be watched and monitored during this period. As per the prevailing protocol apart from elephant Abhimanyu who is entrusted with the responsibility of carrying the howdah, another male elephant will also be trained for the same as a backup in case of any emergency. A team of veterinarians are also camping alongside the elephants to take care of their health and nutritional needs at the palace grounds.