Tusker Mahendra drops out of 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 was undergoing the third round of training by carrying a wooden replica of the golden howdah when he stopped near the Ayurveda College Circle on Sayyaji Rao Road on Thursday. The wooden howdah was subsequently unloaded and the elephant was taken back to the camp.

The Forest Department had decided to conduct the third round despite having almost decided to drop Mahendra from the race, considering various factors.

According to Deputy Conservator of Forests I.B. Prabhu Gowda, Mahendra successfully carried nearly 850 kg, including the wooden replica of the howdah and the cushion, during the first round. However, the second round had to be halted midway due to heavy rain.

“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 official added, “Mahendra may be out of the howdah-carrying task, including for the Srirangapatna Dasara where the wooden replica of the howdah is carried in a procession, and elephants that had successfully completed the weight-training exercises will 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,” he said.

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.

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’.

The selection of the lead elephant is proving challenging for the Forest Department, which has to consider several factors, including the elephant’s ability to carry the howdah, temperament, health and experience, before making the final decision.