9 elephants will begin journey from Hunsur to Mys tomorrow

Mysuru: The commencement of the Dasara preparations will be marked by the Gajapayana, a significant ritual, on Aug 21 at Veeranahosahalli in Hunsur taluk. A total of 9 elephants will embark on a journey to Mysuru to take part in the Dasara 2024 festivities. The elephants are scheduled to arrive at the palace on Aug 23.
DCF (wildlife) IB Prabhu Gowda on Monday told reporters that the Gajapayana will begin with special pujas offered to the Dasara elephants by forest minister Eshwar B Khandre and district minister HC Mahadevappa.“The elephants will be offered pujas and floral tributes between 10.20am and 10.40am. Mahouts and ‘kavadis’ of these elephants will be felicitated on the occasion, which will be followed by cultural programmes,” he said.
Second batch of elephants
According to the DCF, the second batch will consist of five elephants arriving in Mysuru, with another four elephants serving as reserve elephants. “In the second batch, five elephants with Dasara experience will arrive at the city a week later,” he said. “All four female Dasara and one reserve female elephant underwent various tests, including a pregnancy test. Their test results came negative for pregnancy,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Dasara procession will commence at 2.10pm on Oct 12 after the CM performs the Nandi Dhwaja puja at the north gate of the Mysuru Palace between 1.41pm and 2.10pm.
The Dasara celebrations will commence on Oct 3 at Sri Chamundeshwari Temple atop the Chamundi Hills between 9.15am and 9.45am. The state govt is yet to shortlist the name of the VIP who will inaugurate the Dasara.
MCC commissioner Ashaad Ur Rahman Shariff announced that the pothole-filled roads will be repaired before the start of the Dasara. In all 9 zones, the patch-up work of potholes have been taken up at a cost of 1.35 crore, he stated.