The gentle giants from jungle camps are ready to shore up the Dasara with their presence during the Jamboo Savari on Friday.
Hogging the limelight will be Arjuna, the howdah elephant carrying the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari to form the rear of the procession. He took over the mantle from Balarama in 2012. Trapped in the khedda operation at Kakanakote forests in 1968, Arjuna is around 55 years and measures about 2.95 meters in height.
Balarama continues to be a star in his own right and people visiting the palace tend to seek out for him. He has the distinction of participating in the Dasara for 19 years and carrying the howdah for 13 consecutive years. Trapped in Kattepura in 1978, Balarama is around 57 years old and measures 2.7 meters in height.
Then there is Abhimanyu, who has a reputation that strikes terror among the denizens of the jungle. A veteran with a distinction of participating in 16 editions of the Dasara, his off-Dasara duties include trapping wild tuskers on a rampage and subduing them and helping the Forest Department in chasing away elephants straying into human landscape. Weighing around 4,650 kg, Abhimanyu aged 49 had the distinction of pulling the ‘Aane Gaadi’ — which carries musicians seated in a decorated coach — during the procession.
But in view of the injuries sustained on his legs last year while pulling the coach, it is unlikely that any elephant will pull the Aane Gaadi this year. Vikrama has been lending company to Abhimanyu and others during the Dasara since 11 years and is relatively young at 42. Likewise, Harsha is another elephant who has participated in the Dasara 13 times and is well-versed with the proceedings, as is Prashanth who is fairly a senior elephant at 59 and has participated in the festivities on nine occasions.
The rest, Durgaparameshwari, Gopi and Gopalswamy, are relatively new. The final list of elephants will be drawn on Thursday.
