Mysuru: Three elephants are in line to be elevated as
Dasara jumbos this season.
While the foresters' attempt to get young tuskers trained in Dasara rituals are on, three new ones - Bheema, Srinivasa and Krishna - maybe promoted as Dasara elephants, allowing a smooth transition once mighty Arjuna, the howdah elephant, and majestic
Balarama, his predecessor, retire.
Among the three new tuskers, which are proposed to be trained in Dasara duties, Bheema is being eyed to be the next howdah elephant, given his temperament and stamina, two prerequisites to be the howdah elephant. The howdah elephant carries over 750kg golden howdah on his back and amble 5.5km Dasara procession route amid a multitude of people during Vijaya Dashami.
Three tuskers are zeroed in on by the foresters as new inclusions. "Though Bheema's case was argued last season, it fell through as the state government scaled down the 10-day celebrations owing to severe drought. This season, he could check into Mysuru," sources told TOI. The 17-year-old Bheema was captured at Bheemanakatte in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. He was two years old when he was found abandoned and captured. "He is fearless and has adjusted to people around him given that he is living amid people almost since his birth," sources explained. While treating a sick wild elephant sometime ago, foresters had sought the help of Bheema, who has got his name both for his physique and for the place where he was found.
Srinivasa is two years younger to Bheema. But Krishna is 50-years-old. All of them are presently attached to Mattigod elephant camp in Nagarahole.
Traditionally, it is tuskers from Nagarahole which become the howdah elephant. After the state government took over the celebrations in 1970s, Drona carried the howdah with the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari in it for a record 18 times, till the mantle fell on gentle giant Balarama, who has since passed on the duty to Arjuna. With both Arjuna and Balarama nearing 65 years (when they cannot be assigned the howdah duty), the foresters are looking for an alternative to continue the tradition. Drona, Balarama and Arjuna are all from Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.
The earlier attempts to get newly trained tuskers like Gopalswamy and Gopi for Dasara duty have not been successful as they could not adjust to the hurly-burly of the city life. Though they were moved to Mysuru and trained, they were assigned the job only once.
The plan is to get the elephants trained at a young age. While the authorities have the option to promote
Abhimanyu
, who has over 15 years of Dasara duty to his credit, they are looking to get new tuskers to fill in.
The authorities have visited the elephant camps in Nagarahole, Bandipur and BRT tiger reserves and have prepared a list of 14 elephants to be summoned for the Dasara duty. It includes Gajendra, the tusker who gorged Srirama and another Dasara jumbo, to death at K Gudi when he was in musth.