Second batch of Dasara elephants arrives in Mysuru

The second batch of Dasara elephants arrived here on Monday.

The five pachyderms, drawn from various camps, will join the Dasara jumbo squad, led by Abhimanyu who will carry the golden howdah.

The new arrivals are Gopi, Sugreeva, Srikanta, Roopa and Hemavathi.

While Gopi, Sugreeva and Hemavathi are from the Dubare elephant camp, Srikanta is from the Matthigodu camp and Roopa from the Bheemanakatte camp. Hemavathi and Roopa are participating in the Dasara festivities for the first time.

The elephants were given a traditional welcome at the Jayamarthanda Gate of the Mysuru palace.

The first batch of elephants, led by Abhimanyu, arrived earlier this month. All nine jumbos of this batch are currently being trained for the grand procession, primarily familiarising them with the 5-km-long procession route. The jumbos are taken along the route twice daily so that they get used to the traffic and the noise. The elephants are also on a special diet to keep them in good health.

The elephants, along with their mahouts and family members, are camping on the palace premises.

The nine Dasara elephants had their weights checked before beginning their daily practice sessions for the grand procession.

Like every year, it is customary that the weight of jumbos is checked once they arrive from their respective jungle camps since the forest authorities will get to know the weight of each elephant and accordingly plan their diet during their stay. They are being fed nutritious food to keep them fit and healthy, and successfully undergo training.

Bheema is heavier than Abhimanyu. He is the heaviest among the nine elephants, clocking 5,465 kg during the weight-checking exercise at a weigh bridge here.

Abhimanyu is the second heaviest, weighing 5,360 kg. Abhimanyu is the most versatile with a reputation of carrying out his tasks perfectly. Besides Dasara tasks, he is used in operations for catching wild elephants and in operations to capture tigers.

The weight of the elephants that arrived in the second batch will also be checked before they join the practice sessions.