This year’s Dasara jumbo team is likely to have three new faces as the Forest Department has managed to pick the “best ones” for the elite squad.
To prepare the second line of elephants for Dasara duty for the coming years, the forest authorities went around the elephant camps across Bandipur and Nagarahole forests to pick the suitable jumbos for the task.
The first batch of Dasara jumbos will set out on the journey to Mysuru on August 22. The symbolic ‘Gajapayana’ will be held on that day at Veeranahosahalli, on the fringes of Nagarahole, where the jumbos are traditionally welcomed from their camps and offered puja before they head to the City of Palaces.
The tall 59-year-old tusker Arjuna, which usually carries the golden howdah, will lead the first batch. Abhimanyu, Balarama and three other jumbos will be part of this batch.
Senior forest veterinarian Nagaraj told The Hindu that the Gajayapana will take place between 11.30 a.m. and 2 p.m. This year, Eshwara from Dubare camp and Rohit and Lakshmi from Ramapura camp in Bandipur are likely to be the new faces. Dhananjaya, who appeared for the first time in last year’s Dasara, may be elevated to the first batch. “Out of the 21 elephants shortlisted by us, 14 have been finalised for Dasara duty,” he said. They are Arjuna, Abhimanyu, Balarama, Varalakshmi, Kaveri, Vijaya, Vikrama, Gopi, Dhananjaya, Eshwara, Durgaparameshwari, Jayaprakash, Rohit and Lakshmi.
