Mysore Dasara’s preparations commence in August every year with the ceremonial journey of the elephants to Mysore. The journey of the elephants to Mysore for the Dasara celebrations is called Gajapayana. On Vijayadashami, Jamboo Savari takes place on the streets of Mysore with the trained elephants of Mysore Dasara.
Gajapayana, the journey of the elephants of Mysore Dasara to Mysore
The tradition of the elephants of Mysore Dasara journeying to the royal city began in 1610 AD in Srirangapatna. From then on, the practice has become an integral part of the Mysore Dasara celebrations.
The elephants are often captured via the Khedda method. They are judged in an open area if they suit the Mysore Dasara events. Furthermore, they are inspected on the basis of their gait, personality, strength, vulnerability to seduction, and character. The king himself would watch over the training. The captured elephants’ habitats are usually the training camps and national parks where they are trained. The mahouts and Kavadis (assistants of the mahouts) hail from around the Sakrebailu and Dubare forest areas. They communicate with the elephants in a language that is a mix of Urdu, Persian, and Kannada.
The Dasara elephants proceed from the Nagarhole National Park base to Mysore in batches in trucks. They sometimes walked the 70 km or for a short distance. They are received formally by the District Minister and others at the Veerana Hosahalli forest checkpost of Nagarhole National Park. People come forward to greet the elephants along the way. The elephants arrive a few months before the Dasara celebrations to Mysore to get trained for the Jumboo Savarai. They are accompanied by their respective Mahouts and Kavadis. The people welcome them with great warmth and cheer as per the tradition of the Mysore kings.
Food of the elephants of Mysore Dasara
Ragi Mudde, forms the diet of the elephants of Mysore Dasara in their camps. It is a mixture of Ragi, horse gram and some fodder. However, on reaching Mysore, they get to eat a variety of food. They are fed with Uddina bele (black gram), wheat, boiled rice, onions, vegetables and green gram. After the rehearsal, they eat coconut, jaggery, sugarcane, groundnut, and rice with a bit of salt to taste. The mahouts also serve them with banyan leaves. The elephants’ food is protein-rich and has high calories for maximum fitness.
Mysore Dasara Lead Elephant 2025 – Abhimanyu
The 59-year-old Mysore Dasara elephant Abhimanyu will perform as the lead elephant in the Jamboo Savari, Mysore Dasara 2025. For the sixth time, Abhimanyu will carry the howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari during the Jamboo Savari. He has participated in rescuing over 300 wild elephants and 80 tigers in conflicting situations in different parts of the state. He is from the Mattigod elephant camp.
Mysore Dasara elephants names 2025
The main attraction of the Mysore Dasara is the Jamboo Savari. A total of 14 elephants will take part in the Jamboo Savari procession this year. In the first phase, nine elephants will arrive in the city while the remaining five will join later. Every evening, they will go on a walk on the Raja Patha (Jamboo Savari route), which is one of the major attractions of the city during the pre-Dasara days.
- Bhima: The 29-year-old Bhima is from Mattigod elephant camp. Since 2017, he has been participating in the Dasara celebrations.
- Dhananjaya: The 45-year-old Dhananjaya elephant has been participating in Dasara for the last seven years. He is from the Dubare elephant camp.
- Kanjan: The elephant Kanjan from the Dubare elephant camp is taking part in the Dasara celebrations for the third time. He has been one of the major attractions in the Dasara for the last couple of years due to his elegance and style. He is 26 years old.
- Ekalavya: This is the second Dasara for the elephant Ekalavya from Mattigod elephant camp. With a weight of 5,150 pounds, he is the heaviest elephant among all the Dasara elephants.
- Prashantha: The 53-year-old elephant from the Dubare camp, is making it for the 16th time this Dasara. He has been regularly participating in the Dasara procession for the last one and a half decades.
- Mahendra: This is the fourth Dasara for Mahendra, an elephant from the Balle elephant camp. The 42-year-old Mahendra earlier carried a howdah in Srirangapatna Dasara. He regularly participates in elephant and tiger capturing operations across the state.
- Kaveri: The 45-year-old elephant Kaveri is from the Dubare elephant camp. She was captured in 2009 in Kodagu, and has been participating in the Mysore Dasara procession for the last few years.
- Laxmi: The elephant Laxmi is popularly known as Balle Laxmi, as she is from the Balle elephant camp. She is 54 years old. She was a circus elephant until 2015, when the forest department took her into their possession.
In conclusion, the elephants of Mysore Dasara during the Jamboo Savari are surely a wonderful sight to behold.