Dasara elephants, horses take part in Cannon Firing practice

Mysuru: As part of the preparations for Dasara- 2024, a cannon firing practice session was conducted on Thursday at the Dasara Exhibition Grounds for the elephants and horses participating in the Jambu Savari procession scheduled for October 12.

During the practice, a female elephant was momentarily startled by the sound of the cannon fire.

A total of 14 elephants, led by the Howdah elephant Abhimanyu, along with Dhananjaya, Mahendra, Gopi, Rohith, Kanjan, Ekalavya, Bhima, Sugreeva, Lakshmi, Doddaharave Lakshmi, Hiranya and Varalakshmi, participated in the session, alongside horses from the mounted police.

The cannon fire is a crucial part of the ceremony, with a 21-gun salute planned to honor Goddess Chamundeshwari during the Pushparchane at Ambavilas Palace, accompanied by the National Anthem. Another salute will be given to the Governor of Karnataka during the torchlight parade’s inaugural session.

The Mysuru City Police’s City Armed Reserve Unit conducted three rehearsals using live gunpowder. The first round of cannon fire practice was completed today, with the second scheduled for September 29th and the final round on October 1.

The elephants participated confidently under the supervision of DCF I B Prabhugowda and RFO Santhosh Hugar, remaining calm throughout the practice.

The session was attended by Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, DCP Dr. Mutturaju, DCP Jahnavi, and other police officers.

In a first, the Karnataka Exhibition Authority, led by its Chairman Ayub Khan, welcomed the elephants with a grand folk dance performance at the entrance of Dasara exhibition.

-Team Mysoorunews

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