Authorities are leaving no stone unturned in their effort to to publicise this year’s Dasara festivities. It all begins with the Gajapayanam in Mysuru, which marks the start of the festival. Likely to be held on August 23, the event will be streamed live to viewers across the world.
Deputy Director of Tourism Department, Janardhan HP, says, “Last year, we faced internet issues while live streaming the Gajapayana, but this time, we are exploring better technological options, in terms of optical fibre cable for uninterrupted live feed of the event. The live streaming will be available on the Karnataka State Tourism website and its social media handles. We want to reach out to people across the world even before the festival kickstarts in October, so that tourists can plan their holiday well in advance. We are also planning a slew of attractive events this Dasara to attract people.”
NUMBERS OF DASARA ELEPHANTS REDUCED
The number of elephants participating in Dasara has been reduced to 12 from the 15 in 2017. Two new elephants — Dhananjaya and Chaitra — will take part in Dasara for the first time this year. The pachyderms will arrive in Mysuru in two batches, after which they start rehearsing for Jumbo Savaari. The 2018 Dasara elephants are Arjuna, Balrama,
Abhimanyu, Gopalswamy, Vikrama,
Gopi, Drona, Dhananajaya, Vijaya,
Kaveri, Varalakshmi and Chaitra.
