Mysore/Mysuru: On account of Ganesha festival yesterday, Gaja Puja was performed to 14 Dasara elephants camping at the Palace premises in city. The priests led by  Palace Priest Pralhad Rao, performed puja to the elephants as per customs and traditions associated with the widely celebrated festival.

The elephants; Golden Howdah carrier Abhimanyu, Prashantha, Dhananjaya, Mahendra, Ekalavya, Kanjan, Lakshmi, Cauvery, Bheema, Sugreeva, Srikanta, Gopi, Roopa and Hemavathi, were lined up at the ground located between the elephant shelters and Sri Trineshwaraswamy Temple, near Jayamarthanda Gate of the Palace.

The puja was performed during the auspicious time, between 11 am and 12 noon. Arishina, kumkuma and Srigandha were applied to the pachyderms and the symbol of Om was drawn on the trunk.

The elephants were offered sumptuous food, as they were fed with Modaka, Kajjaya, Chakli, Kodbale, Nippattu, Karjikai and other food items.

After the puja, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy showered flower petals on the elephants, followed by City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr. P. Shivaraju, Conservator of Forests (CF) Dr. Ravindra, DCF I.B. Prabhugowda, DCPs R.N. Bindu Mani and K.S. Sundar Raj, Deputy Director of Mysore Palace Board T.S. Subramanya, Palace ACP Chandrashekar and others.

Pancha Phala, a combination of five fruits namely sugarcane, apple, orange, banana and pineapple was offered to the elephants.

The elephants raised their trunks as a mark of respect, making a trumpeting sound to the joy of children present on the occasion. Later, the jumbos retreated to their shelters.

Priest Pralhad Rao said, as per Hindu tradition, elephants are believed as the natural form of Lord Ganesha. The foot of the elephants were purified with water and arishina and kumkuma were applied, prior to performing the puja, to invoke their blessings on this occasion.