Elephants of Mysore Dasara 2026: Meet the 12-Strong Jamboo Savari Squad

The elephants of Mysore Dasara are the stars of the Jamboo Savari, the Vijayadashami procession that closes the Nada Habba (state festival) in Mysuru (Mysore). In 2026 the squad has 12 elephants, and for the first time in about two decades the line-up does not include Abhimanyu, who carried the golden howdah at six consecutive Dasaras.

This guide profiles each of the 2026 elephants of Mysore Dasara, explains their roles in the procession, and outlines key dates from the Gajapayana, the elephants’ journey to the city, to their return to the forest. For the festival as a whole, see our complete guide to Mysore Dasara.

Elephants of Mysore Dasara 2026 at a glance

The official list of Dasara elephants published by the Mysuru Dasara Committee names 12 elephants for 2026: eight tuskers and four females from six Forest Department camps. Six of them come from the Dubare elephant camp in Kodagu (Coorg). The first batch of nine entered the Mysore Palace on 28 August, and the remaining three joined them in mid-September.

The table below lists the 2026 elephants of Mysore Dasara, with their ages, camps, and weights as listed on the official site as of October 2026.

Table 1 – Elephants of Mysore Dasara 2026 squad

Elephant	Sex	Age	Camp	Weight (kg)	Dasara experience and role
Mahendra	Male	42	Balle	4,764	Fifth Dasara; carried the wooden howdah at Srirangapatna Dasara; howdah trainee
Dhananjaya	Male	45	Dubare	5,280	Eight Dasaras; Nishane elephant in 2025; howdah trainee
Ekalavya	Male	41	Bheemanakatte	5,800	Third Dasara; howdah trainee
Prashantha	Male	54	Dubare	5,100	Veteran of more than 15 Dasaras; howdah trainee
Gopi	Male	43	Dubare	5,150	15 Dasaras; Naupath elephant in 2025
Sriram	Male	41	Dubare	4,640	Five Mysuru Dasaras and Tumakuru Dasara
Srikanta	Male	57	Mattigodu	5,860	Second Dasara; Pattada elephant for palace rituals
Sugreeva	Male	44	Dubare	5,800	Third Dasara; Salaane elephant; howdah trainee
Lakshmi	Female	54	Balle	3,438	Third Dasara; kumki
Kaveri	Female	46	Dubare	3,060	Several Dasaras; kumki
Roopa	Female	50	Doddaharave	3,500	Second Dasara; kumki
Chaitra	Female	55	Ramapura	2,988	Five Dasaras; kumki
Source: Mysuru Dasara Committee, mysoredasara.gov.in, as of October 2026. Weights are as listed on the official site; palace weigh-ins in September 2026 reported different figures.

Abhimanyu retires from the Jamboo Savari

Abhimanyu, a tusker from the Mattigodu camp, carried the golden howdah at six consecutive Dasaras, from 2020 to 2025, after taking over from Arjuna. He turned 60 this year, the age at which Forest Department norms bar heavy work such as carrying the 750 kg howdah. According to news reports, he was given a ceremonial farewell on 26 August 2026.

Reports differ on whether he will appear at Dasara in another role. In early September, the Forest Minister reportedly asked officials to bring him back as the Nishane (standard-bearing) elephant, and reporters in Mysuru say he may serve as the Nishane elephant at the royal family’s private Dasara at the palace. The official list of the 12 elephants of Mysore Dasara does not include him, and as of 11 October 2026, no ceremonial role had been confirmed.

Before Abhimanyu, Arjuna carried the howdah eight times, from 2012 to 2019. Arjuna died in December 2023 during an operation to capture wild elephants in Hassan district. Read more in the tale of Arjuna.

Who will carry the golden howdah in 2026?

The Forest Department chooses the howdah elephant after weeks of training at the palace, and as of 11 October 2026 it had not announced its choice. Five tuskers among the elephants of Mysore Dasara were trained to carry weight: Dhananjaya, Mahendra, Ekalavya, Prashantha and Sugreeva. On 6 October, Mysuru District Minister Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah was reported as saying the elephant would “most likely” be Dhananjaya, but the final decision rests with the Forest Department.

How the howdah elephant is chosen

The Mysore Ambari, the golden howdah, weighs about 750 kg, so the elephant that carries it must be strong, calm in crowds and steady over the 5 km route. As reported, Forest Department norms look for a tusker aged at least 35 and under 60 that weighs at least 4,500 kg.

Training builds up in stages. Candidates first walk the route carrying an empty frame, then sandbags of increasing weight, and finally a wooden howdah similar in weight to the real one. The elephants also go through drills with ceremonial cannon fire, so that the crowds, bands and fireworks of the Jamboo Savari do not startle them on the day.

The roles of the elephants of Mysore Dasara

Not every one of the elephants of Mysore Dasara walks in the same place or does the same job. These are the roles named in the 2026 line-up, as they are usually described in reports from Mysuru:

• Ambari (howdah) elephant: carries the golden howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari.
• Nishane elephant: the standard-bearer that leads the procession, carrying the royal insignia.
• Naupath elephant: walks behind the Nishane elephant near the head of the procession.
• Salaane elephants: walk in line in the procession; saalu means row in Kannada.
• Kumki elephants: trained females that walk beside the howdah elephant and keep it calm.
• Pattada elephant: the state elephant that takes part in the private Dasara rituals at the palace.

Meet the 2026 elephants of Mysore Dasara

Each of the elephants of Mysore Dasara arrives with a mahout (handler) and a kavadi (assistant) who care for it through the festival. The profiles below follow the official list, with notes from reporters who cover Dasara in Mysuru.

Mahendra

Balle camp, male, 42 years. Captured in 2018 in the Ramanagara forests, Mahendra is known among Forest Department staff as calm, sturdy and quick. He first walked in the Mysuru Dasara in 2022 and that year carried the wooden howdah at the Srirangapatna Dasara. In 2026 he is one of the five tuskers trained to carry weight for the golden howdah, and he began his training in September with a 500 kg load. Mahout: Rajanna; kavadi: Mallikarjuna.

Dhananjaya

Dubare camp, male, 45 years. Dhananjaya was captured in 2013 at Yasalur (Yeslur) in Hassan district. He has walked in eight consecutive Dasaras and was the Nishane (standard-bearing) elephant in 2025. Reports in October named him the frontrunner among the elephants of Mysore Dasara to carry the golden howdah in 2026. Mahout: Bhaskar J.C.; kavadi: Rajanna J.S.

Ekalavya

Bheemanakatte camp, male, 41 years. Captured in 2022 near Mudigere in Chikkamagaluru (Chikmagalur) district, Ekalavya is, by the account of reporters in Mysuru, the tallest elephant in the 2026 herd. This is his third Dasara. He is among the tuskers trained for the howdah, and one September report named him as this year’s Nishane elephant, a role the official site had not confirmed as of 11 October. Mahout: Idayat S.; kavadi: Prasanna.

Prashantha

Dubare camp, male, 54 years. Prashantha was captured in 1993 at Karekoppa in Shivamogga (Shimoga) district and is one of the most experienced elephants in the squad, with more than 15 Dasaras behind him. He is also in the group trained to carry weight for the howdah. Mahout: J.A. Chinnappa; kavadi: Chandra J.H.

Gopi

Dubare camp, male, 43 years. Gopi has taken part in 15 Dasaras. According to reporters in Mysuru, he served as the Nishane elephant from 2015 to 2024, and in 2025 he was the Naupath elephant, which walks behind the Nishane elephant near the head of the procession. Mahout: P.B. Naveen Kumar; kavadi: Shivu J.R.

Sriram

Dubare camp, male, 41 years. Sriram was captured in 2016 at Bengur in Kodagu (Coorg) district. He has walked in five Mysuru Dasaras and has also taken part in the Tumakuru (Tumkur) Dasara. Mahout: Sari J.D.; kavadi: Ganesh.

Srikanta

Mattigodu camp, male, 57 years. Srikanta was captured in 2014 near Shanivarasanthe. He is the heaviest of the elephants of Mysore Dasara on the official list, at 5,860 kg, and 2026 is his second Dasara. For the second year running he is the Pattada elephant, the state elephant that takes part in the private Dasara rituals at the palace. Mahout: J.R. Radhakrishna; kavadi: Omkar K.

Sugreeva

Dubare camp, male, 44 years. Captured in 2016 in the Kushalnagar range, Sugreeva is in his third Dasara and serves as a Salaane elephant. He is one of the five tuskers trained for the howdah, and he was the heaviest elephant at the palace weigh-in in September, at 5,850 kg. Mahout: J.G. Shankar; kavadi: Jeevan.

Lakshmi

Balle camp, female, 54 years. Lakshmi, often called Balle Lakshmi, was a circus elephant until the Forest Department took her over in 2015 and retrained her. Her handlers describe her as steady amid noise and crowds, and 2026 is her third Dasara as a kumki elephant. Mahout: Mahesh; kavadi: Madhu S.

Kaveri

Dubare camp, female, 46 years. Kaveri was captured in February 2009 at Adinadu in Somwarpet taluk, Kodagu district. She has served as a kumki elephant at several Dasaras. Mahout: J.D. Dobhi; kavadi: Sanjan J.A.

Roopa

Doddaharave camp, female, 50 years. Roopa was rescued from a circus in 2016. The 2026 celebrations are her second Dasara as a kumki elephant. Mahout: Manjunath; kavadi: Manju.

Chaitra

Ramapura camp, female, 55 years. Chaitra was born in an elephant camp, not captured from the wild. She has walked in five Dasaras as a kumki elephant and is one of only four females among the 2026 elephants of Mysore Dasara. Mahout: Kaleem Pasha; kavadi: Prathap.

Gajapayana 2026: key dates for the elephants of Mysore Dasara

Gajapayana, which means the journey of the elephants, marks the start of Dasara preparations. The elephants of Mysore Dasara are formally sent off from Veeranahosahalli, at the edge of Nagarhole National Park, and travel to Mysuru by truck. On Mahanavami, the day before Vijayadashami, they are worshipped at the palace along with the royal horses, in the same spirit as Ayudha Puja.

Table 2 – Gajapayana 2026 key dates

Date	Event	Time
26 August 2026	Gajapayana begins: the elephants are flagged off from Veeranahosahalli, Nagarhole	10:01 AM – 10:28 AM
28 August 2026	First batch of nine elephants enters Mysore Palace; Gaja Puja	9:52 AM – 10:19 AM
Mid-September 2026	Second batch of three elephants joins the squad at the palace	–
20 October 2026	Gaja-Ashva Puja (worship of elephants and horses) at the Amba Vilas Palace on Mahanavami	–
21 October 2026	Jamboo Savari from Mysore Palace to Bannimantap, after the floral tribute	4:10 PM – 4:35 PM (floral tribute)
22 October 2026	The elephants leave the palace for Veeranahosahalli	10:45 AM – 12:11 PM
Source: Mysuru Dasara Committee schedule, mysoredasara.gov.in, as of October 2026; second-batch arrival as reported by Star of Mysore.

For the full festival programme, including the Jamboo Savari route and tickets, see our Mysore Dasara dates 2026 guide.

Life at the palace: training and diet

Through September and October the elephants of Mysore Dasara live in sheds in the palace grounds. Most days they walk the procession route from the palace to Bannimantap, first unladen and later with weights, which builds their stamina and accustoms them to the city’s traffic and noise.

In the forest camps, their diet includes ragi mudde (finger millet balls) mixed with horse gram and fodder. At the palace, according to Forest Department practice described in earlier seasons, they are fed a richer, protein-heavy diet that includes black gram, wheat, boiled rice, green gram, vegetables, jaggery, sugarcane, coconut and groundnut, along with green fodder.

Where to see the elephants of Mysore Dasara

The best view is from the Jamboo Savari route on 21 October. Watching from the roadside along Sayyaji Rao Road, between K.R. Circle and Bannimantap, is free; the official site advises arriving by about 1:00 PM. For the history of the procession and the Torchlight Parade that follows it, read about the Mysore Dasara parade.

After the festival, the Mysore Dasara elephants return to their camps. Some camps are open to visitors, including Dubare in Kodagu and the Mathigodu elephant camp near Nagarhole. The Sakrebyle elephant camp near Shivamogga is another place to watch working elephants up close. For more on the city, browse our Mysore travel guides, including Chamundi Hills, home of the Goddess carried in the howdah.

Also read

• Mysore Dasara dates 2026: day-by-day schedule, Jamboo Savari and tickets
• Mysore Ambari: all about the golden howdah of Mysore Dasara
• The tale of Arjuna – the star elephant of Dasara
• The enchanting Mysore Dasara parade

FAQ: elephants of Mysore Dasara