Dasara elephants accorded ceremonial welcome at Mysuru palace

A battery of Forest Department staff, including wildlife veterinarians, will be in charge of the elephants during their temporary sojourn in Mysuru. They will closely monitor the health of the elephants.

The first batch of nine elephants, led by tusker Abhimanyu, who will take part in the famous Dasara celebrations, were accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Mysuru palace on August 23.

The elephants, which set out from various jungle camps in south Karnataka, were flagged off from Veeranahosalli on the outskirts of Nagarahole on August 21 as part of ‘Gajapayana’ and reached Mysuru the same evening.

Having rested for a day, the caparisoned elephants began the final leg of their journey in Mysuru, marching through the main thoroughfares from Aranya Bhavan to the palace with aplomb.

Traffic movement on the roads came to a standstill to make way for the marching jumbos whose arrival in Mysuru signals the countdown to Dasara.

The elephants reached the Jayamarthanda Gate on the eastern side of the fort surrounding the palace where a formal welcome was accorded by a retinue of cultural troupes and the police band.

Priests performed aarti (recital of hymns to the accompaniment of lamps) for the collective welfare of the elephants while an ensemble of musicians played Nadaswaram.

MLAs Tanvir Sait and T.S. Srivatsa, Deputy Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy, senior Forest Department officials, including Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Kumar Pushkar, Chief Conservator of Forests Malathi Priya, Director of Project Tiger Dr. Ramesh Kumar, Commissioner of Police Seema Latkar were among those who offered garlands and showered flowers on the elephants.