Mysore: “Team Arjuna” has arrived and set the ball rolling for this years biggest cultural extravaganza in Karnataka.

The first batch of six Dasara elephants decorated in traditional attire walked into the Mysore Palace courtyard on Friday.

The district administration welcomed the pachyderms with a  traditional pooja at 12.45 pm. Archakas chanting Vedic mantras welcomed the caparisoned jumbos with Mangalarathi and applied Nethipattam on the jumbos foreheads while officials showered flower petals on them.

The batch of six elephants led by Arjuna includes Balarama, Abimanyu, Gajendra, Sarala and Varalakshmi. The elephants will be housed at Mysore Palace courtyard and given rigorous training in the run-up to the world famous “Jumbo Savari” on Vijayadashmi Day. A large number of foreigners from different parts of the world were seen busy clicking photos.