Mysuru: The grand welcome ceremony of first batch of Dasara jumbos witnessed a tense moment for a while as one of the jumbos ‘Srirama’ panicked.

The elephant, which participated in the welcome ceremony with calm, suddenly panicked as the artistes started to beat the drums producing a deafening sound at Aane Thotti area of Mysore Palace.  

Hearing the sound, Srirama turned around and showed the signs of panic. However, the mahout and kavadi acted swiftly and were able to control the situation by calming down the elephant. Later, chains were tied to the legs of Srirama before it participated in further rituals.

Meanwhile, the forest officials denied any such panicky behaviour shown by the elephant, but clarified that it was normal for the elephant to respond similarly to any sudden loud sound.