The Arjuna elephant carried the golden howdah through the streets of Mysuru (Mysore) at eight Dasaras in a row, from 2012 to 2019, at the head of the Jamboo Savari, the Vijayadashami procession that closes Mysore Dasara. For a generation of visitors he was the face of the festival, and his death in December 2023, during a Forest Department operation in Hassan district, was mourned across Karnataka.
This guide tells the story of the Arjuna elephant: his capture in 1968, the setback that kept him from the howdah for about 16 years, his years at the head of the procession, his work in the forests, his death, and how he is remembered today.
Key Takeaways
- The Arjuna elephant was captured in 1968 in a khedda operation at Kakanakote and lived at the Balle elephant camp in Nagarhole.
- He carried the golden howdah at eight consecutive Mysore Dasaras, from 2012 to 2019, after a wait of about 16 years.
- He walked in the Dasara procession about 22 times in all, including as the Nishane elephant from 2001 to 2011.
- He died on 4 December 2023, aged about 63, after a wild tusker attacked him during a Forest Department operation in Hassan district.
- A life-sized memorial stands over his grave in the Dabbalikatte forest, and an Arjuna Award for mahouts and kavadis has been presented at Gajapayana since 2025.
Table of Contents
Arjuna elephant at a glance
The table below sums up the Arjuna elephant’s life and Dasara record, as reported by the Forest Department and in news coverage.
| Detail | Arjuna elephant |
|---|---|
| Born | About 1960 |
| Captured | 1968, in a khedda operation in the Kakanakote forest |
| Home camp | Balle elephant camp, Nagarhole (H.D. Kote taluk, Mysuru district) |
| Height | About 2.88 m (as reported in 2023) |
| Weight | About 5,800 kg (as reported in 2023) |
| Nishane elephant | 2001 to 2011 |
| Golden howdah elephant | 2012 to 2019 (eight Dasaras) |
| Dasara processions | About 22 |
| Preceded by | Balarama (howdah elephant 1999 to 2011) |
| Succeeded by | Abhimanyu (howdah elephant 2020 to 2025) |
| Died | 4 December 2023, Yeslur range, Sakleshpur taluk, Hassan district |
| Resting place | Memorial over his burial site, Dabbalikatte forest, Hassan district |
| Source: news reports (Deccan Herald, Down To Earth, The South First) and Forest Department statements, as of October 2026. Height and weight vary between sources. | |
Capture and early years
Arjuna was born in the wild around 1960. In 1968 he was captured in a khedda operation in the Kakanakote forest, in the Western Ghats in what is now Nagarhole National Park. Khedda was the old method of driving a wild herd into a stockade, and Kakanakote was the customary site for these operations.
Like other captured tuskers, the young Arjuna elephant was tamed and trained at a Forest Department camp. He was named after Arjuna, the Pandava archer of the Mahabharata, and his home for most of his life was the Balle elephant camp in Nagarhole, in H.D. Kote taluk of Mysuru district.
Arjuna joined the elephants that travel to Mysuru each year for Dasara. By some accounts he carried the golden howdah once in these early years, in a year when Drona, the howdah elephant of the 1980s and 1990s, was unwell.
The 1996 incident and a 16-year wait
In 1996, Arjuna and another Dasara tusker, Bahadur, were taken to Karanji Lake in Mysuru to bathe. Bahadur’s mahout (handler), Annaiah, fell and was trampled to death. The death was blamed on Arjuna, who had a reputation for a short temper, although a veterinarian who knew the elephants later said it was never clear which of the two had trampled him.
Arjuna was taken off Dasara duty and sent back to Balle. When Drona died in 1998, the howdah went not to Arjuna but to Balarama, who carried it from 1999 to 2011.
The Arjuna elephant as Nishane elephant (2001 to 2011)
Arjuna returned to the Dasara procession in 2001 as the Nishane elephant, the standard-bearer that walks at the head of the Jamboo Savari carrying the royal insignia. For eleven years the Arjuna elephant led the procession while Balarama walked behind with the howdah.
Carrying the golden howdah: 2012 to 2019
By 2012 Balarama was tiring and losing weight, and the Forest Department looked for a successor. Arjuna impressed in the weeks of rehearsals at the palace, walking the route with a weighted wooden howdah, and in October 2012 he was confirmed as the elephant to carry the Mysore Ambari, the golden howdah that weighs about 750 kg. After about 16 years, Arjuna was back at the centre of Dasara.
He carried the howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari at eight consecutive Dasaras, from 2012 to 2019. On Vijayadashami he walked the 5 km route from Mysore Palace to Bannimantap, flanked by kumki (trained female) elephants and led by the Nishane elephant. Balls of beaten rice, jaggery, sugarcane and glucose, wrapped in grass, were placed along the route to keep him fed and hydrated.
His mahout in these years, Vinu, was known for his close bond with the elephant, and the pair became familiar faces to Dasara crowds. Vinu said the howdah sat steadier on Arjuna’s back than it ever had on Balarama’s.
The 2019 Dasara was the last for the Arjuna elephant as howdah bearer. He turned 60 soon after, the age above which Forest Department norms bar elephants from heavy work, and the howdah passed to Abhimanyu in 2020.
Howdah elephants before and after the Arjuna elephant
Only a handful of elephants have carried the howdah in the past three decades, and each served for years.
Table 2 – Elephants that have carried the Mysore Ambari
| Elephant | Years as howdah elephant | Dasaras | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drona | Until 1998 | Not officially recorded | Died in 1998 |
| Balarama | 1999 – 2011 | 13 | Succeeded Drona |
| Arjuna | 2012 – 2019 | 8 | Stepped down at 60; died in December 2023 |
| Abhimanyu | 2020 – 2025 | 6 | Retired from howdah duty at 60 in 2026 |
| To be confirmed | 2026 | – | Dhananjaya reported as frontrunner |
| Source: Mysuru Dasara Committee (mysoredasara.gov.in) and news reports, as of October 2026. Years before 1999 are not officially documented. | |||
Work beyond Dasara: the Arjuna elephant as a kumki
For most of the year, Arjuna was a working elephant. As a kumki, a trained elephant used in Forest Department operations, he took part in many operations to capture or move problem wild elephants, and in tiger rescue operations, across Hassan, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts. He continued this work after he stopped carrying the howdah.
How the Arjuna elephant died in December 2023
On 4 December 2023, Arjuna was part of a Forest Department operation against problem wild elephants in the Yeslur range of Sakleshpur taluk, Hassan district. After a wild tusker was darted, it charged. The Arjuna elephant stood his ground and took the brunt of the attack, and he died of his injuries within hours. He was about 63.
He was laid to rest with state honours near where he fell, in the Dabbalikatte forest. Thousands gathered for his last rites, and pictures of his mahout weeping beside him were shared widely. His death also drew questions about how the operation had been run; claims that a bullet injury contributed were denied by the veterinarian who had been seated on Arjuna during the operation.
The Arjuna elephant memorial and the Arjuna Award
After repeated public appeals, the Forest Department built a life-sized memorial over Arjuna’s burial site in the Dabbalikatte forest in Hassan district, and people continue to visit it. In December 2023 the state government also announced a memorial at the Balle elephant camp, his home in Nagarhole.
In 2025, the Forest Department instituted the Arjuna Award in his memory for the people who care for Dasara elephants. It carries Rs. 10,000 each and a certificate for an elephant’s mahout and kavadi (assistant), and it is presented every year during Gajapayana, the start of the Dasara elephants’ journey to Mysuru. The first award, in August 2025, went to the mahout and kavadi of the elephant Bheema. This award is separate from the national Arjuna Award for sport.
Arjuna elephant timeline
Key dates in the life of the Arjuna elephant, from his capture to his memorial.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| About 1960 | Born in the wild |
| 1968 | Captured in a khedda operation in the Kakanakote forest |
| Before 1996 | By some accounts, carries the golden howdah once while Drona is unwell |
| 1996 | Mahout Annaiah is trampled at Karanji Lake; Arjuna is blamed and taken off Dasara duty |
| 1998 | Drona dies; Balarama carries the howdah from 1999 |
| 2001 to 2011 | Returns to Dasara as the Nishane elephant |
| 2012 | Chosen to carry the golden howdah |
| 2012 to 2019 | Carries the howdah at eight consecutive Dasaras |
| 2020 | Abhimanyu takes over the howdah; Arjuna continues forest operations |
| 4 December 2023 | Killed by a wild tusker during an operation in the Yeslur range, Hassan district |
| 2025 | First Arjuna Award presented at Gajapayana |
| 2026 | Life-sized memorial over his grave at Dabbalikatte reported complete |
| Source: news reports and Forest Department statements, as of October 2026. | |
The legacy of the Arjuna elephant at Mysore Dasara
The Arjuna elephant was one of only a few elephants to carry the golden howdah in the past three decades, after Drona and Balarama and before Abhimanyu. In 2026, with Abhimanyu retired, a new elephant takes on the role. Meet the current squad in our guide to the elephants of Mysore Dasara, see the Mysuru Dasara Committee’s official list of this year’s Dasara elephants, and find the full schedule in Mysore Dasara dates and events.
To see working elephants up close, visit the Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu (Coorg) or the Mathigodu Elephant Camp near Nagarhole. In Mysuru, pair a visit to Mysore Palace, where the procession begins, with Chamundi Hills, home of the goddess the howdah carries.
Also read
- Elephants of Mysore Dasara 2026: meet the Jamboo Savari squad
- Mysore Ambari: the golden howdah of Mysore Dasara
- Mysore Dasara parade: Jamboo Savari route, timings and Torchlight Parade
- Mysore Dasara: history, traditions and complete festival guide
FAQ: Arjuna elephant
Who was the Arjuna elephant of Mysore Dasara?
Arjuna was a tusker of the Karnataka Forest Department who carried the golden howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari in the Mysore Dasara Jamboo Savari from 2012 to 2019. He was captured in 1968 and lived at the Balle elephant camp in Nagarhole.
How many times did Arjuna carry the golden howdah?
Arjuna carried the golden howdah at eight consecutive Dasaras, from 2012 to 2019. Some accounts say he also carried it once earlier, in a year when the then howdah elephant Drona was unwell.
Why did Arjuna stop carrying the howdah?
Arjuna turned 60 after the 2019 Dasara. Forest Department norms bar elephants above 60 from heavy work such as carrying the 750 kg howdah, so Abhimanyu took over from 2020.
When did the Arjuna elephant die?
The Arjuna elephant died on 4 December 2023 in the Yeslur range of Sakleshpur taluk, Hassan district.
How did Arjuna die?
He was gored by a wild tusker during a Forest Department operation against problem wild elephants. Arjuna stood his ground when the wild elephant charged, and he died of his injuries within hours.
How old was Arjuna when he died?
He was about 63. Arjuna was born around 1960.
Where is the Arjuna elephant memorial?
A life-sized memorial stands over Arjuna’s burial site in the Dabbalikatte forest in Sakleshpur taluk, Hassan district. The state government also announced a memorial at the Balle elephant camp.
What is the Arjuna Award for Dasara elephants?
It is an award instituted by the Karnataka Forest Department in Arjuna’s memory for the mahout and kavadi of a Dasara elephant. It carries Rs. 10,000 each and a certificate, and it is presented every year during Gajapayana. It is separate from the national Arjuna Award for sport.