Mysuru: Showers in Mysuru on Friday afternoon forced the postponement of wooden howdah rehearsals for the Dasara elephant squad. When elephant Mahendra and his kumkis managed to take a few steps, the forest officials called off the rehearsal.Mahendra, accompanied by kumki elephants Lakshmi and Chaitra, was prepared for the rehearsal at Mysuru Palace. The elephants had just begun moving out when it started to rain, prompting officials to halt the training as a precautionary measure.The wooden howdah, along with other training equipment, weighs around 1,000 kg. The rehearsal was intended to familiarise Mahendra with the additional weight and prepare him for the Dasara procession from Palace to Banni Mantap Grounds. This was the first time that a wooden howdah rehearsal was held with the foresters assigning Mahendra for the job.The rain also soaked the bedding placed beneath the wooden howdah and the cotton ropes, making them wet and heavier, which could cause discomfort to the elephant. Officials therefore decided to postpone the training and reschedule it to a later date. Five elephants—Prashantha, Dhananjaya, Mahendra, Sugreeva and Ekalavya—are currently undergoing training to take responsibility for carrying the golden howdah during the procession scheduled on Oct 21.Wooden howdahs will be mounted on the elephants during successive rehearsals to assess their performance and suitability for the prestigious task.Forest officials said all the elephants in the squad are healthy and responding well to the training. Deputy conservator of forests IG Prabhugouda said Abhimanyu, the traditional lead elephant associated with the golden howdah, is scheduled to arrive in Mysuru on Oct 5.
