Dasara elephants to be formally handed over to Mysuru palace on August 28

Temporary shelters built on the palace premises in Mysuru ahead of the arrival of the first batch of elephants for Mysuru Dasara-2026. | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram The nine elephants selected in the first batch for participation in Mysuru Dasara 2026 will be formally handed over to the Mysuru palace authorities on Friday (August 28), following the traditional Gajapayana at Veeranahosahalli near the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve on Wednesday (August 26).The handover ceremony will be held in the presence of Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy and will mark the next major stage in preparations for the grand festival.The ceremony on the palace premises will formally mark the elephants’ participation in the festival and facilitate their acclimatisation to the palace environment ahead of the Dasara celebrations.The Forest Department has selected 14 elephants for participation in Mysuru Dasara 2026 following comprehensive health examinations, veterinary assessments and recommendations of the Dasara Elephant Selection Committee.Of the 14 elephants, nine will participate in the first batch, three in the second batch, while two have been kept as reserves.The first batch comprises Dhananjaya, Mahendra, Ekalavya, Prashantha, Gopi, Sri Rama, Srikantha, Lakshmi and Kaveri. The second batch includes Roopa, Chaithra and Sujreeva, while Bheema and Harsha are the reserve elephants.As part of the selection process, the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Wildlife division officials and veterinary teams visited the Mathigodu, Dubare and Ramapura elephant camps and conducted detailed health examinations.The examinations included physical assessments, laboratory tests of blood and stool samples and ultrasound scans of female elephants. For the first time, ECG examinations were also conducted to assess the cardiac health of the Dasara elephants.Grand GajapayanaThe traditional Gajapayana for Dasara 2026 will be held at Veeranahosahalli near the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve on Wednesday.Traditional rituals and cultural programmes will be organised in the presence of Ministers, legislators, elected representatives, dignitaries and senior Forest Department officials. The rituals will be performed for the nine elephants in the first batch.Following the ceremony, the elephants will be transported to Mysuru in specially arranged trucks. The Forest Department will give priority to their health, safety and welfare during transportation, acclimatisation, training and participation in the Dasara festivities, a press release from the office of Deputy Conservator of Forests, Mysuru Wildlife Division said.The tradition of bringing selected elephants to Mysuru for Dasara dates back to the erstwhile Mysuru Maharajas. In earlier years, elephants were trained at forest camps and brought to Mysuru on foot on an auspicious day following traditional rituals.However, growing vehicular traffic and concerns over elephant safety led to a change in the practice. Since 2004, the first batch of Dasara elephants are accorded traditional puja at Veeranahosahalli before being transported to Mysuru in specially arranged trucks.Over the years, Gajapayana has evolved from a ceremonial elephant procession into an important cultural event featuring traditional rituals, folk and cultural programmes, forest and wildlife conservation awareness activities and public participation.The ceremonial retirement of legendary tusker Abhimanyu, who carried the golden howdah for six consecutive years and was part of the Dasara festivities for the past two decades, is adding an emotional dimension to this year’s Gajapayana, and will remain to be special. Published - August 25, 2026 06:41 pm IST