B M Lavakumar
Pics: Nani Hebbal
Mysore:No sooner we think of Mysore Dasara, we reminisce on majestic jumbo ride. The majestic tusker, Arjun is carrying the golden throne, walking along with other tuskers in a synchronized manner.
A few months of preparation for this one-day historical moments goes unnoticed. The tuskers that arrive in 2 batches from jumbos training center engaged in training for months together. The training also goes on in a disciplined way.
The tuskers camping in the compound of palace are daily fed with choicest of food. Moreover, the tusker – Arjun who will carry the golden throne weighing 750 kilograms is pampered the most. The pulses such as urid, wheat, boiled rice, onion, raw vegetables, butter, paddy, coconut bits, coconut waste, sugarcane, jiggery, til, banyan leaves, grass all fed in different proportions. Each tusker is bathed twice a day by the handlers.
Rehearsals twice a day:
The celebrity tusker, Arjun is trained twice a day by carrying a payload of wooden throne weighing 750 kilograms, while other tuskers will carry a set of sand-filled bags in order to prepare them for the big day. This training begins from palace compound to Banni Mantap, a distance of about 6 kilometers daily.
The training on carrying the sand bags is being held only early mornings to save energy and well being of tuskers. The tusker – Arjun kneels down, while the mahouts lay a huge sack of sand weighing 300 kilos on its back and fasten around its belly. The jute bags are spread around and fasten the sample iron cradle on above it. Its not a easy task indeed that over 10 mahouts accomplish. The sand bags are stashed over the cradle one after the other. The mahouts keep on increasing the numbers of sand bags on each passing day. This training is given to not only tusker Balaram, but also tusker Abhimanyu, Arjun, Gajendra and SriRam and other tuskers almost 15 days. The training begins with 100 kilograms and stopped at 750 kilograms. After 15 days, training is imparted after loading wooden throne for a few more days. The majestic jumbo ride will be held carrying golden chariot with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari in it on Dasara Utsav.
The majestic jumbo ride will begin from palace compound passing through Sayyaji Rao road and concludes at Banni Mantap. The mahouts and their families are camping in palace compound caring the jumbos. These families were provided with tents and also schooling in tents. The tourists enjoy the rare treat of tuskers bathing, handlers feeding food etc. The majestic jumbo ride passes through main streets in the city and admired by innumerable tourists. To conclude, now its the tuskers group reigning in palace city.