Dasara elephants' march toned down

The year-long mourning being observed by the Wadiyar family following the demise of Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar on December 10 last year will cast its shadow on the traditional welcome accorded to the Dasara elephants which will take part in the forthcoming celebrations.

Instead of the grand welcome given to them at the Jayamarthanda main gate of the Mysore Palace, they will be welcomed at Aranya Bhavan on August 16 here, where they will be stationed initially for a few days. Soon after their welcome, they were being stationed in the temporary sheds at the palace premises itself along with their mahouts, kavadis and their families.  

The elephants, led by howdah-carrying jumbo Balarama, now being taken care at the Hosahalli elephant camp, will leave from the Nagapura Girijan Ashram school premises at Ummathur in Hunsur taluk, at 10 am on August 14 instead of Veeranahosahalli. The ‘Gaja Payana’ or the march of elephants will be inaugurated by District in-charge Minister V Sreenivasa Prasad.

Pramoda Devi, wife of late Wadiyar, is learnt to have conveyed to Prasad when he called on her last Saturday her reservations over the celebrations when the royal family was in mourning. Traditionally, no celebrations or festivals or conducted during the year-long mourning period. Following this, a decision is said to have been taken to cancel the grand welcome at the eastern entrance to the palace, the first engagement indicating the ‘Nada Habba’ celebration.

In view of the mourning, the royal family may not associate with the state-organised celebrations but yet may extend its co-operation by lending the golden howdah and other items for the Dasara procession on Vijaya Dasami.

Generally, the late Wadiyar also attending the inauguration of the procession, besides himself going in procession within the palace courtyard as part of the traditional festivities.

It is also not clear yet, whether the royal family will conduct the rituals in the background of the mourning in the Palace.