Mysuru: A day ahead of the Gajaswaagatha event when a traditional welcome is accorded to the Dasara elephants at the Mysuru Palace Courtyards, the authorities have put up shelters to accommodate the caretakers of the pachyderms too besides erecting tents for the jumbos.
The first batch of six Dasara pachyderms, Arjuna, Abhimanyu, Dananjaya, Eeshwara, Vijaya and Varalakshmi who arrived in Mysuru on August 22, after their journey was flagged off with a grand Gajapayana event at Veeranahosalli near Nagarahole tiger reserve, are relaxing at Aranya Bhavan in Mysuru.
They will start moving from Aranya Bhavan premises towards Mysuru Palace at around 10.30 am on Monday. They will be offered traditional pooja by a team of priests and will be formally welcomed by minister V. Somanna with flowers and by feeding them sugarcane and jaggery at Jayamarthanda gate of Mysuru Palace at 12 noon.
The DCF Wildlife Mysuru division, Mr Alexander M.G. said, "There are already six tents to accommodate the elephants. We have put up 18 tents to accommodate family members of Mahouts and Kavadis of the first batch of Dasara elephants. While there are already 8 toilets and two bathrooms, we have also made arrangements for two additional bio toilets. They will be given a kit of basic requirements including a stove, clothes, rations and others. A CCTV camera will be fixed near the tents of the elephants and there will be adequate security for them 24/7," he said.
Like every year the authorities have come up with a tent school to ensure that the kids of the caretakers don't miss their lessons during their stay in Mysuru for 50 days, a library and an Ayush unit.
