Captain Abhimanyu carries 500 kgs on the first day

Mysore/Mysuru: Training for the Dasara elephants to carry weight ahead of the Jumboo Savari began yesterday, with Golden Howdah carrier Captain Abhimanyu and Kumki elephants Hemavathi and Kaveri leading the exercise.

Captain Abhimanyu, who has carried the 750-kg Golden Howdah five times in the past, will be taking on the honour for the sixth time this year.

For the training session, a Gaadi-Namda weighing 200 kg and a cradle-like metal structure containing 300 kg of sandbags were secured on Abhimanyu’s back. Gaadi-Namdas were also placed on Hemavathi and Kaveri to familiarise them with the load.

Later, 13 Dasara elephants were led out of the Palace premises through the Balarama Gate, near Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple and marched along the traditional Jumboo Savari route, passing Chamaraja Circle, K.R. Circle, Sayyaji Rao Road, Government Ayurveda Hospital Circle, New Sayyaji Rao Road, Old RMC Circle, Bamboo Bazar, Maulana Abul Kalam Circle (Highway Circle) and Nelson Mandela Road to reach the Torchlight Parade Grounds in Bannimantap.

Out of the total 14 elephants, Gopi was given rest and did not participate. The jumbos returned to the Palace along the same route.

As the elephants walked majestically, crowds, including many children, lined up along the route to watch and click photos of their favourite jumbos. The public was delighted as the elephants responded by raising their trunks whenever their names were called.

Bhima removes barricade

A light-hearted moment occurred when elephant Bhima showcased his wisdom. While being led behind Captain Abhimanyu, Bhima’s mahout, Gunda, noticed a barricade blocking the exit and asked the Forest staff to remove it.

However, Bhima didn’t wait — he moved the barricade himself and stepped out confidently to join the squad, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Dr. I.B. Prabhugowda said that weight training would soon be extended to Dhananjaya, Mahendra, Bhima, and Prashantha, in addition to Captain Abhimanyu. The session was supervised by Range Forest Officer (RFO) Syed Nadeem, Veterinarian Dr. Adarsh, and elephant caretakers Rangaraju and Akram, among others.