Tusker Mahendra falls out of the Howdah Golden Race

Tusker Mahendra carrying a wooden replica of a golden howdah in the premises of the Mysuru Palace in Mysuru. | Photo credit: File Photo

Tusker Mahendra is likely to drop out of the race to carry the golden howdah during the Mysuru Dasara procession after failing to complete the load-carrying exercise in three attempts.

Mahendra was undergoing his third round of training by carrying a wooden replica of the golden howdah when he stopped near the Ayurvedic College Circle on Sayyaji Rao Road on Thursday. The wooden howdah was subsequently unloaded and the elephant was taken back to the camp.

The forest department decided to hold a third round, despite almost deciding to disqualify Mahendra from the race, considering various factors.

According to Deputy Conservator of Forests IB Prabhu Gowda, Mahendra successfully carried nearly 850 kg, including a wooden replica howdah and a pillow, during the first round. However, the second round had to be stopped halfway through due to heavy rain.

“During the third lap, Mahendra refused to continue and looked uncomfortable. As a precautionary measure, we unloaded the howdah safely and brought him back to the camp,” Mr. Gowda told The Hindu.

The official added, “Mahendra may be off duty carrying the howdah, including for the Srirangapatna Dasara, where a wooden replica of the howdah is carried in the procession, and elephants who have successfully completed the load exercise will be used.”

With Mahendra almost out of the race, the four tuskers – Dhananjaya, Sugreeva, Ekalavya and Prashantha – are in the final race to carry the golden Howdah. “All four successfully completed the required weight-bearing exercises,” he said.

A wooden Howdah was unloaded on site by tying a rope to a tree and carefully lowering the load. A large number of people gathered at the spot as forest authorities safely removed the howdah from the elephant.

The forest department is yet to finalize the successor to Abhimanyu, the former chief elephant of Dasara who carried the golden howdah six times in a row. After his retirement, Abhimanyu was inducted into Dasara’s elephant team as “Nishane Ane”.

Choosing a lead elephant proves challenging for the forest department, which has to consider several factors, including the elephant’s carrying capacity, temperament, health and experience, before making a final decision.

Published – 8th October 2026 20:30 IST