The six elephants, making up the first batch that will participate in Dasara festivities, were accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Mysuru palace on Wednesday.
Having arrived in the city on Sunday from various jungle camps, they were housed at Aranya Bhavan and made their last lap of the march to the palace late in the afternoon.
Walking along the main thoroughfares of the city, the Dasara elephants — Arjuna, Gopi, Vikrama, Dhananjaya, Varalakshmi and Chaitra — were the cynosure of all eyes as traffic was stopped to let the jumbos march for the customary reception at the Jayamartanda Gate.
A retinue of officials including the palace staff, police band, and officiating priests waited for the jumbos to arrive where they were received with a traditional aarti followed by a round of prayers and chanting of hymns. The police band played traditional tunes while folk artistes put up a spirited dance display to the beats of the drums and cymbals.
The six elephants were then ushered through the Jayamartada Gate to the main palace complex where they were accorded another round of welcome with while petals being showered on them. Tourists visiting the palace chanced upon the presence of the elephants and made a dash towards them to witness the event.
G.T. Deve Gowda, district in-charge Minister; A.H. Vishwanath, MLA; S.A. Ramdas and others were part of the reception team who accompanied Arjuna and company to the main palace courtyard. The elephants then retired to the courtyard which will be their home till the completion of Dasara on October 19. They will be joined by the second batch of another six elephants in due course and go through the rehearsal, which will include route familiarisation, for the procession.
The Dasara executive committee and Forest Department have made elaborate arrangements to house the mahouts and their families who will stay in the camps till the conclusion of the festivities. A temporary school to ensure that the children of the mahouts do not miss out on their classes is also part of the arrangement. A battery of Forest Department officials led by veterinarians will camp with the elephants.
