Dasara elephants and horses keep their cool amid deafening sounds

Mysuru: The first round of cannon-firing drill to acclimatise Dasara elephants and Mounted Police horses to the booming sound of cannons was held successfully at the Dasara Exhibition parking lot this morning.

Seven cannons were brought to the Dasara parking lot by the Police and lined up for firing by the Pirangi Dal personnel of the City Armed Reserve (CAR).

All 13 Dasara elephants, including Abhimanyu, were led from the Palace’s Jayamarthanda Gate on Bengaluru-Nilgiri Road. A concrete road divider near the Dasara Expo Grounds was removed to allow the elephants to cross the road.

The elephants then walked past the wrestling arena, took a right turn and entered the Dasara Expo Grounds through the Ittigegud side, as construction work is underway near the main entrance. 40 horses from the Mounted Police force were also brought to the parking lot for the drill.

Once the elephants and horses were lined up, crackers were burst to familiarise the animals with the sound. During this, elephants Srirama and Srikanta and some of the horses panicked briefly but soon calmed down.

Later, 21 shots were fired from seven cannons, three short-barrelled and four long-barrelled normal cannons, in three rounds, with a one-minute gap between the rounds.

Gunpowder weighing 1.250 kg to 1.5 kgs was used for one cannon in one round. In all, 31 to 32 kgs of gunpowder was consumed for firing 21 shots. All the elephants and horses remained calm and stood still during the firing.

City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar said that as cannon firing is part of the tradition during the Jumboo Savari and Torchlight Parade, the first round of the drill was conducted this morning and was successful.

Conservator of Forests (CF) Ravishankar said, the first round went off well, with all the elephants responding positively and remaining calm when the cannons were fired.

The selection of the howdah elephant will be finalised soon. Elephants Dhananjaya, Sugreeva, Prashantha, Mahendra and Ekalavya are being trained to carry the required weight, he added.

Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Dr. I.B. Prabhugowda said that all the Dasara elephants are being constantly monitored and given a special diet.

Due to the scorching heat, the elephants are being given baths three to four times a day. They are also being fed curds mixed with beaten rice (avalakki) and ragi balls to help keep them cool. The DCF said, all the elephants were healthy and ready to take up the responsibilities assigned to them.

Two more rounds of the cannon-firing drill will be held on Oct. 9 and 12.