There were anxious moments at Srirangapatna Dasara which got underway on Saturday when crackers were burst close to elephant Gopalaswamy who panicked and swerved to his sides, sending people in the vicinity scampering for cover.
Elephants Gopalaswamy and Kaveri were sent to Srirangapatna from Mysuru for the annual Dasara festival and it only entailed prayers and showering of petals to the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari.
The 3-day festival was inaugurated by Sri Nirmalananda Swamiji of Adichunchanagiri Mutt. Deputy Conservator of Forests V. Karikalan said that elephants role was restricted to offering salute to the deity and showering of petals. The wooden howdah which is used for practice for the Vijayadashmi procession in Mysuru was also sent to Srirangapatna to place the procession idol in it and hoist it on the elephant.
Things went smoothly and during the conclusion someone in the crowd burst crackers and Gopalaswamy who was nearby panicked. However, the mahout and assistant not only controlled the elephant but also calmed it. Elephant Kaveri also reacted in a similar manner but within seconds was brought under control by the mahout.
The deity was then shifted to a chariot and the procession was completed but Mr. Karikalan said that there was no permission to use the elephants in the procession.
There was a huge crowd surrounding the elephants accompanied by cacophony of noise, whistling and cheering adding to stress which was capped by the bursting of crackers. It was sheer providence that nobody was injured though a sizeable number of people were in close proximity to the elephants and could have been trampled.
Senior officials said the incident should serve as a caution to the general public not to get close to the elephants as their behaviour cannot be predicted. Though Gopalaswamy has been participating in Dasara since many years, has withstood the booming sound of cannons fired during rehearsal at Mysuru and is accustomed to noise, his response to the bursting of crackers was impulsive.
Though precautions are taken during the Jamboo Savari in Mysuru to ensure that there is no congregation of crowd close to the elephants, the incident will serve to ensure that more strict measures are in place, according to the officials.
