Mysore/Mysuru: Dasara elephant Arjuna, who carried the Golden Howdah (Ambari) for 8 successive years between 2012 and 2019, was paid tributes at a condolence meeting held at the Mysore Palace Board here this morning.

Elephant Arjuna, aged about 60 years, died during a wild elephant taming operation at Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district yesterday.

In a condolence message, Palace Board Deputy Director T.S. Subramanya said that Elephant Arjuna carried the Golden Howdah for 8 successive years during the Dasara procession and played a vital role in the success of Dasara procession. He further said that he was thrilled to see how Arjuna used to draw the painters nearer towards him and how he lifted them by his trunk when they were painting him on his skin for the procession.

All the staff of the Palace Board remembered Arjuna and paid floral tributes to the Dasara elephant.