Mahendra Wooden howdah was dismounted from Dasara tusker Mahendra midway near KR Hospital junction as he refused to amble to his destination of Banni Mantap during Thursday evening rehearsalspic by madhusudhan.sr
The howdah elephant has to move through a sea of devotees during the Oct 21 procession, making its temperament and comfort crucial to successfully completing the task. The 42-year-old elephant from Balle Elephant Camp in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve was one of the five tuskers being trained for the demanding role.
Deputy conservator of forests (wildlife) IG Prabhugouda said Mahendra would not be considered for the role of the howdah elephant. Its safety and well-being are our priority,” he said. Prabhugouda said the other four tuskers under training — Dhananjaya, Prashantha, Sugreeva and Ekalavya — are ready for howdah duty, and one among them will be selected to carry the Golden Howdah.
Mysuru : Dasara tusker Mahendra , who was being trained to carry the Golden Howdah during the Dasara procession, has been ruled out of the role after failing to complete the 5km walk from Mysuru Palace to Banni Mantap carrying a wooden howdah. With experienced Abhimanyu resting from the responsibility of carrying the Golden Howdah this year, selecting his successor has become challenging, with only two weeks remaining for the Dasara procession. However, he has now been excluded from consideration after showing reluctance to carry the wooden howdah during the 5km rehearsal route for the second time. “Mahendra is not comfortable carrying the howdah. If an elephant is uncomfortable, we cannot force it to continue. The officer added that no visible health issues had been found, although a detailed medical examination was underway to rule out any internal problems.
On Thursday, the wooden howdah, along with sandbags and other paraphernalia weighing about 1,000kg, had to be removed midway near KR Hospital Junction after Mahendra began the trek from the palace premises. He first stopped near the entrance to KR Circle and remained stationary for more than 10 minutes. After being coaxed by his mahout, he resumed walking but stopped again a few metres ahead and remained there for another 10 minutes.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mysuru | Silver Rate in Mysuru | Bank Holidays in Mysuru | Public Holidays in Mysuru Stay updated with the latest Mysuru news. As part of the training, forest officials use a wooden howdah. The load was later transported back to the palace in a goods vehicle, a rare occurrence in recent Dasara history. The rehearsal began at the palace premises around 5pm, with Mahendra proceeding along the designated route towards Banni Mantap. However, he showed signs of reluctance at several points along the way. As the elephant appeared uncomfortable, forest officials decided to discontinue the rehearsal as a precautionary measure. Download the TOI App.