Elephants are an integral and vital part of the Mysore Dasara celebrations, a festival of color, heritage and royalty like none other, the world over. The celebrations kick off on September 25th.
The main attraction of the Dasara Celebrations is the Jumbo Savari or the elephant procession, which takes place on the day of Vijayadashami and marks its finale. The procession of elephants begins with cannons fired 21 times outside the Mysore Palace. The elephants are inured to the sound of the gunfire through rehearsals which are conducted three to four times in the run-up to the Dasara finale every year.
The Jumbo Savari is lead by elephants Arjuna, Abhimanyu, Gajendra, Prashantha,Vikram, Harsha, Mary and Varalakshmi. The Jumbo Savari lead elephant this year, like last year, is expected to be Arjuna. He will carry the Golden Howdah (Chinnada Ambari) with the Goddess Chamundeshwari in it.
Elephants Drona and Balarama carried the Goddess Chamundeshwari statue in the Golden Howdah for many decades. Balarama took up the responsibility after Drona was electrocuted in 1998 at Nagarahole National Park. Balarama has been granted retirement after 13 years.
The Elephants arrived from the surrounding base camps at Dubare, Hebballa, Moorkal, Kallalla, Nagarahole, Veeranahosahalli, Metikuppe, Sunkadakatte, Bandipur, Moolehole, THithiMathi in groups a month before the festivities began. Some arrived in trucks, while others were walked to Mysore, from their home bases. These elephants have been selected for their strength, personality, character and importantly, their walking style!
On arrival in Mysore, they were greeted with folk dances, drums and other festivities and received by the District in Charge Minister, Srinivas Prasad at a formal ceremony, that has years of history behind it.
The elephants were accompanied by their Mahouts, Ganapati, Chinnappa, Sanappa, Vasantha, Dodd Maasti, Gopala and Raju who put them through their practice routines in the month leading up to the Dasara festivities.
Speaking to this correspondent, a mahout said, “the government gives us Rs: 5000 as an honorarium after the Dasara Celebrations are over. We also get Rs: 300/- per week for vegetable during our stay at Mysore”. The Mahout seemed both disappointed, and proud, when he said, “This is not enough. We expect more from the government, but we are happy to be a part of these world famous celebrations as it is a privilege”, he added.
The health and strength of the elephants are vital to the celebrations. Although, their normal diet is ‘ragi mudde’, while under training in the lead up to the Jumbo Savari, they are fed twice a day, a feast fit for royals. Their diet consists of urud dal, green gram, wheat, boiled rice, onions and vegetables. They undergo health checkups on a regular basis too, as they carry a lot of weight during the procession.
The Jumbo Savari is a part of our heritage and culture and a sight to behold and enjoy for all of us. It brings uniqueness to the Dasara Celebrations and has made Mysore the cynosure of all eyes during the Dasara celebrations. However, we must spare a thought for the elephants and their mahouts who add color and grandeur to our lives every year at this time.
