The five Dasara elephants led by 54-year-old Abhimanyu, who will be carrying the 750 kg golden howdah for the first time this year, were accorded a traditional welcome into the Mysuru palace on Friday.
The caparisoned elephants that arrived from their respective forest camps on Thursday and stayed overnight at Aranya Bhavan majestically marched into the palace to begin their Dasara journey amidst the music of ‘Nadaswara’. Unlike the past, they were brought to the palace from Aranya Bhavan in trucks to avoid people gathering around them as a precaution owing to COVID-19.
The elephants received a rousing reception after their arrival at the Jayamarthanda gate of the palace. The Police Band accorded a guard of honour to the jumbos that marched onto the premises at 12:45 p.m. as they were showered by flowers by Minister in-charge of Mysuru district S.T. Somashekar, elected representatives and officials, setting the ball rolling the festivities. Pujas were performed to the jumbos before they entered the palace.
As a custom, the Minister handed out bouquets of fruits to key officials requesting them to successfully conduct the festivities.
The mahouts and kavadis of the elephants – Abhimanyu, Vikrama, Gopi, Cauvery and Vijaya – also received welcome kits containing daily essentials and other needs on the occasion as they will be staying in the palace premises in makeshift tents and training elephants for the Jamboo Savari.
MLAs S.A. Ramdas, G.T. Deve Gowda, L. Nagendra, Mayor Tasneem, Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri, DCF Alexander and other senior officials were present. All dignitaries underwent thermal screening at the palace before the event.
After a day’s rest on Saturday, the elephants will begin their training for the Jamboo Savari on the palace premises from Sunday. They won’t be taken out of the palace as a precaution in view of the pandemic. The training used to be done till Bannimantap all these years. Now, with the procession limited to the palace, the training will also be confined to the palace fortress.
Deputy Conservator of Forest Alexander told The Hindu that all training for elephants will be confined to the palace and the jumbo camp will have CCTV surveillance with constant monitoring of their health by the forest staff and vets and provision of a special diet.
COVID-19 test for mahouts
Mr. Alexander said the mahouts, kavadis and the supporting staff of the elephants would undergo COVID-19 tests on Saturday. All together, around 30 of them would take the test on the palace premises conducted by healthcare authorities. After the test results, the schedule of training and other activities would be finalized, he added.
This year, the family members of the mahouts and kavadis have not accompanied them to Mysuru over the pandemic, he said.