Dasara elephants bid adieu to their respective forest camps

After two months of their stay on Mysore Palace premises, it was time to bid adieu to all Dasara elephants and their caretakers to their respective forest camps, on Friday morning, after playing their prime roles in the Dasara Jamboo Savari procession.

Palace priest Prahlad Rao offered puja during the auspicious Tula lagna at 10 am. DC Dr Bagadi Gautham, DCFs V Karikalan, Kamala Karikalan, Palace Board Deputy Director T S Subramanya and others offered floral tributes and fed the pachyderms with sugarcane, jaggery and sweets, including modak and karjikai.

Fifty mahouts, kavadis and other caretakers of the Dasara elephants were honoured and given a honorarium of Rs 10,000 each and were offered breakfast with a spread of Mysore Pak, veg pulav, idli and vada, to thank for the successful Dasara. Each of the elephants climbed a lorry and left Mysore Palace at 11 am.

Lakshmi, who had given birth to Sri Dattatreya on the Palace premises on September 14, was also shifted with her new born, along with Chaithra, to Ramapura forest camp of Bandipur Tiger Reserve around 4.30 am after consultation with a team of doctors and approval of PCCF V K Gogi, said DCF V Karikalan.

Karikalan was all praise for the nine elephants that took part in the Jamboo Savari for their performance amid such huge crowd. Vasatha, mahout of Abhimanyu, who carried the golden howdah said, he is satisfied with Abhimanyu's performance in the procession.

Forest officials said, while they had sought Rs 1.45 crore to take care of the elephants during their stay in Mysuru, Rs 1.25 crore was approved and so far they have received Rs 1 crore.

Abhimanyu, Bhima, Mahendra, Gopalswamy returned to Maththigodu forest camp while Arjuna returned to Balle forest camp in Nagarahole tiger reserve. Vikrama, Dananjaya, Cauvery, Gopi, Sri Rama, Vijaya were transported to Dubaare forest camp of Madikeri division. Parthasarathi was sent to Ramapura forest camp of Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

The elephants were brought to Mysuru on August 7, ahead of Dasara, from their respective forest camps to acclimatise them for the Dasara Jamboo Savari procession.

While they were fed with special diet, each of them returned with excess weight. The elephants will stay in forest camps for the next one year until next Dasara and will work for the Forest department in several operations.