Sex Male Occupation Golden Howdah carrier Predecessor Balarama Species Elephas maximus | Nation from India Years active 2012–present Weight 5,445 kg | |
Arjuna (born c. 1960) is an Asian elephant who, from 2012 has been the lead elephant and the carrier of the Golden Howdah at the Mysore Dasara. He was named after Arjuna, the third of the Pandava brothers from the Hindu epic Mahabharatha.
Mysore Dasara
Arjuna was captured in 1968 in the Khedda operations from the forests of Kakanakote in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. After he was tamed, he was made a regular at the camps that featured processions during the festival of Dasara in Mysore, in the 1990s. After Drona, the then carrier, fell ill prior to the Dasara festivities, Arjuna was made the carrier of the 750-kg Howdah that houses an idol of a Hindu deity Chamundeshwari, for an year, when the former was made the Nishan. That year, before the festivities began, he wavered and charged at the crowd, as the helicopter hovering above raining flower petals on the howdah came low. Eventually, he calmed down to complete the task. The following years, he was made the Nishan to follow Drona.
In 1996, when Arjuna and Bahadur, another Dasara elephant, were taken to Karanji Lake for bathing, Bahadur's mahout Annaiah fell and was trampled upon. It was reported as an accident, but Arjun was blamed upon, for already having been known for his bad temper. He was immediately taken "off-duty" and was confined to the village Balle, at the Nagarhole National Park, before being brought back to the Dasara camp and made the Nishan in 2001 to Balarama, which he remained till 2011. On course of selection of the carrier for festivities in 2012, Arjuna became the leading contender after he beat Balarama in the rehearsals of carrying the howdah, for five kilometers between Mysore Palace and Bannimantap, by 45 minutes, despite going through periods of musth at the time. His choice as the carrier was confirmed by the organizers in October 2012.