Hassan: Ambari elephant ‘Arjuna’ killed during elephant rescue operation

Team Udayavani, Dec 4, 2023, 4:55 PM IST

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Hassan: Arjuna, the elephant who had carried the Ambari during Mysuru Dasara, died on Monday, December 4.

Arjuna reportedly died during an operation to capture and rescue wild elephants at Yesalur in Hassan district.

The 64-year-old elephant, Arjuna, was at Belle Camp in Nagarhole National Park in Mysuru. He was engaged in elephant and tiger capture operations by the forest department.

According to sources, the elephant capture operation has been going on for the past 10 days at Sakaleshpur. Five elephants have been captured, so far. Arjuna was reportedly severely injured in a confrontation with a wild tusker on Monday morning and breathed his last in the afternoon.

Arjuna’s legacy

Arjuna held the prestigious position of lead elephant and carried the esteemed Golden Howdah (Ambari) at the Mysuru Dasara festival from 2012 to 2019. Named after Arjuna, the heroic third Pandava brother from the Hindu epic Mahabharatha, this iconic elephant captured the hearts of many.

Arjuna was initially captured in the Khedda operations of 1968 from the forests of Kakanakote in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. Once tamed, he became a regular feature at the camps participating in processions during the festive celebrations of Dasara in Mysuru during the 1990s. His presence added grandeur and tradition to these significant cultural events.