Rain Delays Ambari Training as Five Tuskers Vie for Dasara Lead Role

The selection of the lead elephant for this year's Jamboo Savari has moved into its final stage, with five tuskers in contention, even as heavy rain on Friday forced the Forest Department to defer a key round of training.

Mahendra, Dhananjaya, Ekalavya, Sugreeva and Prashanth are the elephants still in the race. The department is looking for a successor to Abhimanyu, the veteran tusker that carried the golden howdah for six straight years before being withdrawn from active Dasara duty because of his age.

The second phase of weight training has been completed by all five animals. The third phase, which involves carrying a wooden replica of the golden ambari, was to begin on Friday. The replica, along with its cushion and other equipment, weighs around 1,000 kg.

The drill began on the palace premises with the replica mounted on Mahendra, but the downpour cut the exercise short. Officials said the cushion and ropes became wet, making it unsafe to continue, and the session will be held on another day.

Deputy Conservator of Forests I.B. Prabhu Gowda confirmed that the line taleem and weight training had been completed successfully and that the ambari replica training had been put off because of the rain.

Each of the five tuskers will be made to carry the wooden replica on separate days. The department will weigh their performance across the training stages, along with other factors, before naming the elephant that will lead the Jamboo Savari.