By M.T. Yogesh Kumar

Mysore/Mysuru: Captured in 2017 for creating havoc at Sakleshpur and surrounding places in Hassan district, elephant ‘Ashwathama,’ who has been tamed and displaying calm behaviour now, is all set to participate in Dasara celebrations for the first time this year in just four years of him being captured.

Aged 34 years, with slender tusks and attractive features, Ashwathama, who is 2.85 mts (9.3 ft) tall, 3.46 mts (11.3 ft) long, flat back and weighs 3,630 kg has the ability to be the Golden Howdah carrying elephant in future.

The officials concerned, only after inspecting and examining Ashwathama’s nature, physical fitness and other features, selected him to participate in this year’s Mysuru Dasara. If Ashwathama participates in Dasara celebrations for six to seven years and provided training continuously, the Forest Department officials are confident that he will be capable of carrying the 750 kg Golden Howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari in future.

To train him (Ashwathama) in taking up the responsibility of the ‘Howdah Elephant,’ Ashwathama is being brought to participate in Dasara in just four years of him being captured and tamed. 

Mahout Shivu and Kavadi Ganesh, who have been entrusted the responsibility of taking care of Ashwathama are doing their best in taking care of him.

After being selected for Mysuru Dasara, Ashwathama, who was housed at Dodda Harave Elephant Camp, has been shifted to Mathigodu Elephant Camp. All the eight elephants, which have been selected to take part in this year’s Dasara, are being provided nutritious food and are being prepared at their respective camps and will arrive in Mysuru together after Gajapayana is flagged off on Sept. 13.

Why was Ashwathama captured

A wild elephant then, Ashwathama was creating havoc by raiding agricultural field and destroying standing crops at Sakleshpur and surrounding places in Hassan district. Farmers and the public, who began to fear him, had urged the Forest Department to capture him.

In this backdrop, the Forest Department had begun combing operation in July 2017. Following information that a wild elephant was causing problems in Sakleshpur Division limits, the Forest officials conducted an inspection and came to know that a male elephant was moving near the villages and causing problems. 

After identifying the problem-causing elephant, the Forest Department authorities with the help of combing specialist Abhimanyu, Arjuna and other tamed elephants, captured Ashwathama, who was aged 30 years then and shifted him to Dodda Harave Elephant Camp, where was tamed.

He was then put into an elephant kral where he was provided training and he was named as ‘Ashwathama.’ 

Fierce and notorious in behaviour when captured, Ashwathama was tamed and trained by Mahouts and Kavadis, which enabled him (Ashwathama) to change his behaviour. He now displays peaceful and calm behaviour. 

Ashwathama, who came out of the kral in a year, was allowed to move freely around the camp and prepared. Ashwathama is the only male elephant from Dodda Harave Elephant Camp, which houses female elephants Lakshmi,   Kumari, Roopa and Anasuya.