Mysuru: The “Gajapayana” or the traditional journey of the Dasara elephants to Mysuru for the famed Jumbo Savari, the star attraction of the soon to held 10- day festivities in the city, will begin on Sunday from Veeranahosalli near the Nagarahole National Park in Hunsur taluk. With Principal Chief Conservator of Forests approving the participation of 12 elephants in the Dasara procession this year, the first batch of seven elephants will arrive in Mysuru on Sunday and prepare for the “savari” that will draw the curtains on the Dasara festival.
District in-charge minister G.T. Devegowda will offer pooja at 10 am on Sunday to the caparisoned elephants in Veeranahosalli along with minister for Kannada and culture, Jayamala, tourism minister, Sa Ra Mahesh, Hunsur MLA and JD (S) state chief, A H Vishwanath among others. The elephants will later travel in lorries to Mysuru, where they will be taken to either the Aranya Bhavan or Aloka Palace before proceeding to the Mysuru palace courtyard where they will remain for the duration of the festival.
The elephants include 58 -year -old Arjuna, who will carry the 750 kg golden howdah for the eighth year and Varlakshmi, Vikrama, Dhananjaya and Gopi from different forest camps. Sixty –year- old Balarama, who carried the golden howdah for 13 years, will join them next week according to DCF Siddaramamma.
