After lending grandeur to Mysuru Dasara, the Dasara elephants bid adieu to the city on Thursday.
Led by the Ambari Aane Arjuna and the veteran Balarama, elephants Vijaya, Vikrama, Dhananjaya, Eshwara, Varalakshmi, Kaveri, Durgaparameshwari, and Gopi left for their respective jungle camps.
During their stay, the elephants received special diet after the daily grind, said D.N. Nagaraj who was in charge of the entire herd and ensured their health and well being. A 45-day schedule that is now a routine for many of the elephants, it came to an end after the conclusion of the Jamboo Savari on Tuesday. The elephants were given a rest on Wednesday before they were shifted back to their respective jungle camps on Thursday.
The elephants and the mahouts were accorded a send-off complete with prayers for the collective welfare of the herd and their safe return for the next year’s festival. A priest performed mangalarathi and chanted hymns besides applying kumkum and vermilion to Arjuna and company.
As a thanksgiving gesture, the elephants were also given sugarcane and bananas to munch besides fodder mixed with jaggery. Apart from the senior Forest Department officials, there were members of the public for a photo session with Arjuna, Balarama and company.
Formalities complete the elephants were lined up before the palace and they raised their trunk as if in salute after which they were herded to their respective trucks for the journey back to the jungles.
However, Abhimanyu, Jayaprakash and Gopalswamy had left the city on Wednesday evening to join the combing operation in Bandipur in search of an elusive tiger.
