Elephant Abhimanyu flanked by Lakshmi and Hiranya, carried the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari in the golden howdah during Jamboo Savari to bring the curtains down on Mysuru Dasara, on Saturday. | Photo Credit: M.A. SRIRAM

Caparisoned elephants steal the show at Mysuru Jamboo Savari

by · The Hindu

Caparisoned elephants led by tusker Abhimanyu stole the show at Mysuru Dasara which concluded with the famed Jamboo Savari and Torchlight Parade, in Mysuru on Saturday.

Braving the din and noise of a massive turnout to view the procession held amidst heavy rains, the elephants have always been the showstoppers traditionally and it was no different this year.

Abhimanyu carried the 750 kg howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari as the designated “Ambari Aane” and was cheered by a large crowd which waited for his arrival at the palace patiently.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Ministers H.C. Mahadevappa and Shivraj Tangadagi paying respect to elephant Abhimanyu flanked by Lakshmi and Hiranya, carried the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari in the golden howdah during Jamboo Savari to bring the curtains down on Mysuru Dasara, on Saturday. | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram

After surmounting of the howdah, he was ushered in towards the stage in a procession and given a guard of honour much to the delight of the public. After Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other dignitaries showered petals on the deity, Abhimanyu, flanked by Lakshmi and Hiranya, began to march out of the palace and headed towards the Bannimantap grounds.

All along the route thousands of people waited to catch a glimpse of Abhimanyu carrying the howdah and the deity and he completed the task with a calm demeanor much like his predecessors that included Arjuna and Balarama who are no more.

Earlier, other elephants made an equally impressive performance including Eklavaya who debuted in Mysuru Dasara this year. He was at his impeccable best and walked with composure alongside other elephants to set the procession rolling from the palace premises.

Dhananjaya, Gopi, Bhima, Kanjan, Sugriva, Mahendra, Prashanth, and Sugriva constituted other members of the squad of the marching elephants. Caparisoned elephants conducted themselves with grace and dignity to shore up the procession and reinforced the perception that they embody the spirit of Dasara in Mysuru.

Published - October 12, 2024 08:14 pm IST