The tragic death of elephant Arjuna on Monday, December 4, in a fight with a wild tusker has kindled memories of some of the legendary elephants associated with Mysuru Dasara in the recent decades.
Intrinsic to the 10-day festival, the elephants have always been stars in their own right and Arjuna had a larger than life image given his height and gait which commanded attention.
Besides, he was known for being temperament, throwing tantrums in his early years, and had to be goaded by a mahout who understood his nature.
Hence, there were concerns when Arjuna took over the mantle of carrying the howdah from his predecessor Balarama. But Arjuna pulled it off with aplomb in 2012 and never looked back since then. Though he was eased off the responsibility of carrying the golden howdah, he had enough strength to carry on for a few more years, according to forest department personnel who had observed him from close quarters.
A regular to Mysuru Dasara since the mid-1990s, an entire generation grew up watching the giant, and this year’s Vijayadashmi procession held on October 15 where he officiated as Nishane elephant, turned out to be his last.
Arjuna carried the golden howdah between 2012 and 2019 and relinquished space for Abhimanyu who was vested with the responsibility of carrying the howdah in 2020. But Arjuna continued to participate as a Nishane elephant as it did not entail carrying any weight. Besides, his presence itself shored up the majesty of the event.
Dasara jumbos
His contemporary was Balarama, an affable elephant known for its calm disposition and stately walk. He carried the golden howdah for 13 years – from 1999 to 2011 and retired on attaining superannuation at 60 years. His death came about in May 2023 and was attributed to TB. But five months later, in December 2022, Balarama was shot by a farmer and the elephant suffered pellet injuries but recovered from it. Within 7 months, two renowned elephants of Mysuru Dasara have died leaving their admirers in grief.
Before Balarama stepped into the picture, there was another elephant by the name Drona. A legend in his own right, Drona hogged the limelight at Mysuru Dasara and carried the golden howdah for 18 years — from 1981 to 1998 — without a break which is unlikely to be broken.
But his death was also under tragic circumstances. While grazing in the forests close to the jungle camp, he tore down a tree which came crashing down but also brought down a low-hanging high-tension cable which electrocuted him instantly.
The other elephants of fame who passed away recently include Gopalaswamy aged around 40 which too died in a fight with a wild tusker in November 2022. Though Gopalswami had all the qualities to take over the mantle from Arjuna as a howdah elephant, it was not to be so. In March 2015, Srirama a veteran and contemporary of Arjuna, Balarama, Abhimanyu, etc. all died in a fight with Gajendra which was in ‘’musth’’ at K. Gudi camp. In November 2019, Gajendra himself was injured in a fight with another elephant.
