Elephant training for Mysuru Dasara’s Jamboo Savari has started, with the key elephant Mahendra hauling a 350‑kg sandbag load from the Mysuru Palace courtyard to the Torchlight Parade Grounds at Bannimantap, as forest officials assess the squad’s fitness ahead of the festival.
The first phase, launched after special prayers and rituals at the palace, saw Mahendra fitted with sandbags and escorted to Bannimantap, completing the route without difficulty. Other squad members—Dhananjaya, Ekalavya, Prashantha, Gopi, Srirama, Srikantha, Lakshmi and Kaveri—also marched orderly along the traditional path, drawing attention from onlookers.
The weight‑bearing drills, overseen by Forest Department Deputy Conservator of Forests Dr Prabhugowda, are intended to gauge each elephant’s load‑carrying capacity, physical condition and responsiveness to mahout commands. Officials are closely tracking the animals’ health, diet and mental state to ensure readiness for the Jamboo Savari.
With senior elephant Abhimanyu having previously carried the golden howdah, there is public curiosity about which animal will assume that role this year; authorities said a final selection will be made only after the training concludes and all elephants’ fitness and performance are evaluated.