Mysuru: The arrival of the first batch of nine elephants in Mysuru on Wednesday evening marked the next phase of preparations for the Mysuru Dasara. The elephants, which began their journey from Veeranahosahalli following the traditional Gajapayana ceremony, reached the city amid public enthusiasm.The batch comprises seven tuskers—Srirama (41), Ekalavya (41), Srikanta (57), Mahendra (42), Prashantha (54), Dhananjaya (45) and Gopi (43)—and two females, Lakshmi (54) and Kaveri (46). The elephants will be housed temporarily at Aranya Bhavan in Ashokapuram before being ceremonially taken to Mysuru Palace on Aug 28.Meanwhile, Mysuru district minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah said the elephant that will carry the golden howdah during this Dasara procession is yet to be finalised. The decision will be taken after evaluating the elephants during their training and rehearsal in Mysuru, he told reporters.
