BALARAMA
Hunsur, Feb. 17, 2006
Elephant Balarama which carried the Howdah in Mysore Dasara several times was injured when wild elephants attacked him in Nagarahole National Park recently.
Balarama was injured in many parts of the body including his neck when the wild elephants gored him with their tusks and he is being treated, according to Forest Department sources.
After the Dasara festival last year, Balarama was shifted to Moorkal elephant camp in Nagarahole. The tamed elephants were let out of the camp at night time for grazing as a routine. They used to return to the camp at day break next day. But about 10 days ago, Balarama did not return to the camp and was found after a two-day search by the mahouts and Forest Department personnel.
He was lying injured in the Forests. He was shifted to the camp with the help of other tamed elephants, where he is being treated.
About two years ago, at the time of Dasara, Balarama had escaped but returned.
The Forest officials who visited Moorkal camp are said to have issued strict instructions not to let Balarama out of the camp.
Monday, January 14, 2002
Dasara Elephants in Mysore
The first batch of five elephants for participating in the Dasara
procession, Jamboo Savari, has arrived in Mysore.
The elephants led
by the chief tusker, Balarama, are undergoing training with daily
acclimatization march along the procession route - Palace to
Bannimantap Parade Grounds.
The 43-year-old Balarama had recently
escaped into the forest in Nagarahole forest area after developing
'musth'. With only a few days left for the Dasara, the panic forest
officials caught him two days later in the forest.
He and four other
jumbos had a ride in a truck from their respective elephant camps to
Mysore accompanied by their mahouts.
After a day's rest at the
Aranya Bhavan, the Mysore headquarters of the Forest Department,
the
five pachyderms were shifted to the Palace premises, for their daily
acclimatization. Besides Balarama, the other tusker in this batch is
34-year-old Bharatha. The two are having the company of three
females - Kanthi (62), Gayathri (48) and Kokila (56).
They were
given a ceremonial welcome with Pooja, garlands, sugarcane and
jaggery by the senior officials of Mysore.
The second batch of
elephants to take part in the low-key Dasara this year will be
joining their five team mates in the first week of October.
Sri
Rama, Abhimanyu, Gajendra, Biligiriranga, Vikram, Varalakshmi and
Sarojini are the seven elephants coming.
Of the dozen elephants, Balarama will be the star attraction as he
will carry on his back for the fourth year the sacred idol of
Goddess Chamundeswari
in the 800-kg golden howdah on the auspicious
10th day of Dasara celebrations commencing from October 17.
Caught
in 1990 in the Kattepura forest, Balarama has since taken part in
the Dasara procession eight times, carrying the golden howdah
thrice.
Bharata, trapped in 1987, also caught in the Kattepura
forest range, has been participating in the procession since 1998.
Seasoned Kokila has the distinction of taking part in the Dasara
procession 11 times. She was trapped in the famous forest,
Kakanakote.
The eldest of the five pachyderms Kanthi (62), trapped
in the Khedda forest in 1968, has attended the Dasara nine times.
Gayathri has been a participant for the last four years since 1977.
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