Mysuru: On the occasion of Nada Habba (State Festival) Dasara, elephant Mahendra is set to achieve a hat-trick by carrying the howdah in the Dasara celebrations at Srirangapatna in Mandya district.

Although Mahendra arrived with the second batch of elephants this year, he quickly earned the trust of the officials with his impressive demeanour. As a result, he has been entrusted with the honour of leading the Dasara festivities in Srirangapatna once again.

Participating in the Dasara festival for the third consecutive year, Mahendra is poised to play a key role in the Jumboo Savari in the coming years. The 41-year-old elephant arrived in Mysuru with the first team in both 2022 and 2023, joining the camp set up at Mysore Palace.

However, due to some confusion and misjudgements this year, Mahendra arrived with the second team. Despite this, he has already begun training alongside the first team’s elephant squad.

This year, a total of 14 elephants, including 10 males and 4 females, have been brought from various camps to participate in the Dasara festival. Led by Captain Abhimanyu, who is entrusted with carrying the Golden Howdah, the elephant squad is being provided with nutritious food to ensure their well-being.

Preparing for future roles

With the absence of senior elephants like Balarama, Arjuna, Gopalaswamy and Vikrama, the focus is on gradually entrusting more responsibilities to the younger elephants.

As a result, new approaches and experiments are being introduced each year to prepare them for future roles.

Similar to the Mysuru Dasara, the Srirangapatna Dasara also features a grand procession — though on a smaller scale — where the wooden howdah, carrying the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, is placed on an elephant.

This year, the Srirangapatna Dasara celebrations are set to begin on Oct. 4, one day after the commencement of Navaratri. In this context, discussions are on regarding which elephant to send from Mysuru. It has been decided to send Mahendra, who has excelled in the Srirangapatna Dasara for the past two years, once again this year.

A grand procession

The Srirangapatna Dasara will commence from Kirangur Bannimantap, proceed along the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway, pass through the main street and market street of Srirangapatna, and conclude in front of the Sriranganathaswamy Temple.

The procession, spanning approximately 4 kilometres, will feature one male elephant, one female elephant and various folk art troupes.

A crane is typically used to place and secure the wooden howdah, weighing around 300 to 400 kg, onto the elephant. Four years ago, during the Srirangapatna Dasara, Gopalaswamy, who was carrying the howdah, was startled by the sound of fireworks and abruptly turned backward, causing a tense situation.

The following year, Mahendra, making his debut at the Srirangapatna Dasara, was entrusted with the responsibility. In his first year, Mahendra performed admirably, upholding the trust placed in him.

As a result, Mahendra successfully participated in the Srirangapatna Dasara last year and is now poised to achieve a hat-trick by carrying the howdah for the third consecutive time. Previously, Captain Abhimanyu achieved a similar hat-trick by carrying the howdah during the Srirangapatna Dasara.

About Mahendra

In 2018, the wild elephant Mahendra was captured in the Kabbalu area of Ramanagara district, where he had been causing disturbances in forest-edge villages.

Captured during the operation, Mahendra was subsequently trained at the Mathigodu Elephant Camp in the Nagarahole Wildlife Sanctuary.

At 41 years old, Mahendra stands 2.75 metres tall, measures 3.25 metres in length and weighs 4,910 kg. With excellent training at the camp, he has become calm and gentle, demonstrating the potential to serve as a future howdah elephant. Mahout Rajanna and Kavadi Mallikarjuna are responsible for his care.

Mahendra, who took part in last year’s Srirangapatna Dasara, is being sent again there this year. However, the decision on which female elephant will accompany him has not yet been made. Mahendra is gentle by nature and has proven his ability to handle responsibilities. —Dr. I.B. Prabhu Gowda, Deputy Conservator of Forests