Tusker Mahendra Likely Dropped From Mysuru Dasara Golden Howdah Race

Tusker Mahendra is likely to be dropped from the race to carry the golden howdah during the Mysuru Dasara procession after he could not complete the weight-bearing training despite three attempts.

Mahendra stopped near the Ayurveda College Circle on Sayyaji Rao Road on Thursday while undergoing the third round of training with a wooden replica of the golden howdah.

The wooden howdah was then unloaded, and the elephant was taken back to the camp.

Third training round ends early

The Forest Department had decided to conduct the third round even though it had almost decided to drop Mahendra from the race after considering various factors.

According to Deputy Conservator of Forests I.B. Prabhu Gowda, Mahendra had successfully carried nearly 850 kg during the first round.

The load included the wooden replica of the howdah and the cushion.

However, the second round had to be halted midway because of heavy rain.

The third attempt also did not produce the required result, with Mahendra refusing to proceed further and appearing uncomfortable, Mr. Gowda said.

“During the third round, Mahendra refused to proceed further and appeared uncomfortable. As a precautionary measure, we safely unloaded the howdah and brought him back to the camp,” Mr. Gowda told The Hindu.

The wooden howdah was unloaded at the spot by tying a rope to a tree and carefully lowering the load.

A large number of people gathered at the site as forest authorities safely removed the howdah from the elephant.

Four tuskers remain in contention

Mr. Gowda said Mahendra may be out of the howdah-carrying task, including for the Srirangapatna Dasara, where a wooden replica of the howdah is carried in a procession.

He added that elephants that had successfully completed the weight-training exercises would be utilised.

With Mahendra almost out of the race, four tuskers, Dhananjaya, Sugreeva, Ekalavya and Prashantha, are in the final race to carry the golden howdah.

“All four have successfully completed the required weight-bearing exercises,” Mr. Gowda said.

The Forest Department is yet to finalise the successor to Abhimanyu, the former lead Dasara elephant who carried the golden howdah six times consecutively.

Following his retirement, Abhimanyu has been inducted into the Dasara elephant team as a ‘Nishane Ane’.

Selection remains challenging

The selection of the lead elephant is proving challenging for the Forest Department.

The department has to consider the elephant’s ability to carry the howdah, temperament, health and experience before making the final decision.

Mahendra’s inability to complete the third weight-bearing exercise leaves the Forest Department with four tuskers that have successfully completed the required training, while the final successor to Abhimanyu remains undecided.

Source: The Hindu