Elephants begins Dasara Rehearsal, Abhimanyu and team take a serious step

Mysuru
Eight elephants, under the command of Gajapade leader Abhimanyu, completed their first training on the Jambusavari route for this year’s Dussehra celebrations. The training began at the Kodi Someswara temple in the palace area and covered a route that included the Balarama gate, KR Circle, Government Ayurvedic Hospital on Sayajirao Road, Old RMC Circle, Bamboobazar Circle, Highway Circle, and Nelson Mandela Road. The elephants reached the Bannimantapa Panjina Parade ground at 8:25 a.m.
During the training, the elephants paused for two minutes at three locations along the route before moving smoothly. The elephants, led by Abhimanyu, included Bhima, Gopi, Dhananjaya, Rohita, Lakshmi, Varalakshmi, and Eklavya. A police escort vehicle accompanied the elephants, and forest guards and caretakers ensured that no strangers approached them. After the training, the elephants rested at Bannimantapa grounds before returning to the palace via the same route.
Prabhu Gowda, DCF (Wildlife), stated that out of the nine elephants in the first team for Dussehra, eight successfully completed the initial training. The training process also includes weight-bearing exercises. The behavior of the new elephants, Eklavya and Rohita, was noted as encouraging.