Dasara elephants checked-in to Mysuru palace

Mysuru: Dasara elephants led by Abhimanyu were given a rousing welcome at the Mysuru Palace where they will stay till the culmination of the 10-day Dasara celebration on October 15.
The team of elephants which are the centre of attraction of the Dasara celebration was greeted with sugarcane and ‘modaka’, a sweet dish, followed by a special gajapooja at Jayamarthanda Dwara, the main gate of Mysuru Palace.
District minister ST Somashekar offered the elephants a special dish and welcomed them while Chamundi temple chief priest Shashishekar Dixit conducted the pooja.
The Elephants had halted at Aranya Bhavana, the forest department headquarter, in Ashokapuram from Monday.
Led by lead elephant Abhimanyu, the caparisoned elephants left Aranya Bhavan early in the day and walked all the way to Mysuru Palace. Elephants passed through Ashoka Circle, RTO circle, Ramaswamy circle, Chamaraja Double Road and Gun House Circle to reach the palace. The elephants covered the distance of 3km in 55 minutes.
Police provided a guard of honour even as they were showered with flower petals. Hundreds of policemen and forest staffers guarded the elephants along the route. Traffic was diverted on the route to ensure hassle-free movement of elephants.
Somashekar said the government will soon hold a cabinet meeting to select the special guest to inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara soon after the on-going session. Dasara will be opened atop Chamundi Hills on October 7. MLA SA Ramadas and mayor Sunanda Palanethra were present.
‘Only eight nights this Navratri’
Sri Chamundeshwari Temple chief priest Shashishekar Dixit said this year there will be only eight nights during Dasara celebration due to changes in the ‘Tithi’ in the Hindu calendar. “This happens once every three years or five years and there is no concern about it. But all poojas and rituals that are conducted during the celebration will go on as usual,” he said.
Challenge is to keep elephants in the pink
As Mysuru Dasara is restricted within the confines of Mysuru Palace this year too, keeping the elephants in good health is a challenging task for forest officers. Deputy conservator of forests (wildlife) V Kariklan, told TOI that as special ration is provided to elephants during their stay in the palace, they’re likely to gain weight. This year too elephants will not be taken outside the palace premises for rehearsal.
This year there will be eight elephants – Abhimanyu, Gopalswamy, Vikrama, Ashwathama (a first timer), Dhananjaya, Cauvery, Lakshmi and Chaitra, in the celebration as against five elephants last year, he said, adding all elephants are hale and healthy.
Ashwathama, Lakshmi ‘panic’
Ashwatthama, the fresher, and 20-year-old Lakshmi, participating in the Dasara for the third time, panicked on their way to Mysuru Palace but didn’t create any trouble. Ashwaathama jumped on the footpath while Lakshmi jerked following honking by a truck.