9 Elephants selected to participate in grand Mysuru dasara in first phase

Mysuru: The forest department has selected 9 elephants in first phase to participate in grand dasara of which 7 are male and two female.

The first batch of elephants to participate in Dasara was selected by a team of forest department officials in a meeting held at Aranya Bhavan in Mysuru on Tuesday. On September 1, The elephants will be scheduled to start journey from Veerana Hosahalli in Nagarahole wild life sanctuary to Mysuru. The elephants will be brought to the cultural city by performing traditional puja and will stay at Aranya Bhava premises in Mysuru. Later on September 4, traditional puja will be offered at Jayamarthanda gate of the palace and welcome to the palace. After that, the elephants and the family of the mahouts and Kavadigas will be staying in the palace will conduct training for 45 days.

The names of the elephants selected for the first phase are Bhima, Abhimanyu, Mahendra, Arjuna, Dhananjaya, Gopi, Parthasarathi, Vijaya, Varalakshmi

Abhimanyu is a seasoned elephant among the elephants arriving in the first phase of elephant journey for Dasara weighing 5000-5300 kg. Abhimanyu the elephant has been participating in Dasara for the past 20 years and was captured in 1977 in the Hebballa forest area of Kodagu. Among the female elephants, Vijaya is the veteran elephant weighing 3250-3300 kg. This elephant of calm nature was captured in Dubare in 1983. This elephant has been participating in the Dussehra festival for about 11 years.

The elephants participating in Dasara were selected from Mattigodu, Balle, Bhimanakatte and Dubare, Rampura camps under Nagarhole National Park. The 5 elephants that will come in the second phase have not been selected yet.

GV Rangarao, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of Tiger Project, Sashwati Mishra, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Malathi Priya, Conservator of Forests, Mysore circle, Saurabh, Forest Conservator of Wildlife Division participated in the selection meeting of the elephants that will participate in Dasara. The selection of the elephants was done based on a number of factors, including the elephant's temperament, health, and experience in participating in Dasara. The forest department officials also took opinion of the mahouts and kavadigas who look after the elephants.

The selection of the elephants is a major event for the Mysuru dasara festival. The elephants are a symbol of the festival and their participation is eagerly awaited by the people of Mysuru and tourists from all over the world.