After Gajapayana, Dasara elephants bathe and enjoy good food at Mysuru's Aranya Bhavan

After the hectic Gajapayana on Monday, bracing the huge crowd that crossed 10,000 people, the Dasara jumbos were in a relaxing mood at the Aranya Bhavan in Mysuru on Tuesday.

The nine jumbos that participated in Gajapayana at Veeranahosahalli of Hunsur taluk were brought in trucks to the Aranya Bhavan in Ashokapuram of the city on Monday evening. It was the first day of the pachyderms’ stay in Mysuru for this year’s Dasara, and they were given a soothing bath and good food. They remained playful throughout the day.

First batch

All elephants in the first batch - Abhimanyu, who has carried the golden howdah five times, Bheema, Mahendra, Prashantha, Dhananjaya, Ekalavya, Kanjan, Lakshmi and Kaveri - have been housed at the Aranya Bhavan. They will stay here for a few days, after which they will be sent to the Mysuru Palace, where they will be housed till Vijayadashami, the Jamboo Savari day, the last leg of Dasara festival.

Already, people are coming in large numbers to the Aranya Bhavan to have a glimpse of the jumbos that will be participating in the famed Dasara procession.

However, the Forest department has taken all security measures and has erected barricades to prevent people from going near the jumbos.

In a relaxed mood

I B Prabhu Gowda, DCF (Wildlife), Mysuru division, said that the jumbos were in a relaxed mood on the first day of their stay in Mysuru on Tuesday. Expressing happiness over the smooth Gajapayana event at Veeranahosahalli, under the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve on Monday, he said that more than 7,000 people took part in it and the procession looked like a mini Dasara. The jumbos too behaved well and did not react negatively to the crowd.

The jumbos were subjected to all kinds of medical examinations before coming to Mysuru, like blood test, liver, kidney and heart condition, and all are healthy.

All the nine jumbos in the first batch are experienced. Their behaviour has changed and they should have realised that they have come to participate in the Dasara festivities. They are all friendly and relaxed and there is no problem, he said.

The jumbos are being fed with fodder, grass, paddy and hay at the Aranya Bhavan. The special nutritious diet will begin once they reach Mysuru Palace, he said.

Tentative date given

The tentative date given is August 10. It is said that the jumbos are likely to reach the Mysuru Palace and will be given a traditional welcome at the Jayamarthanda Gate, between the auspicious time 6.40 pm and 7.20 pm on August 10. It will be the first time that the jumbos are being welcomed to the Palace in the evening.

The second batch of Dasara jumbos - Gopi, Sugreeva, Srikanta, Roopa and Hemavathi - will reach Mysuru in a few weeks. They will be trained for Dasara. The Dasara will be inaugurated atop the Chamundi Hill on September 22, while the Jamboo Savari will be held on Vijayadashami, on October 2.