Cannon firing practice at palace today

Even as the training for Dasara elephants has been stepped up with only a few days left for the start of the festivities here, the cannon firing practice to familiarise the elephants to the booming sound from the artillery will be held on Thursday. This is the first such practice being conducted as part of this year’s Jamboo Savari training.

Deputy Conservator of Forest K. Karikalan said the cannon firing practice will be conducted at the parking lot of the palace premises at 11 a.m.

Personnel from the City Armed Reserve will conduct the firing test to acquaint the jumbos to the loud noise. The 21-gun salute is accorded soon after the inauguration of the Jamboo Savari during the finale. The practice is done to ensure that the jumbos don’t get sidetracked to the sound and hence the rehearsal is done at least two times.

Meanwhile, with palace illumination on all days of the festivities being the key attraction of the Dasara season, the replacement of fused bulbs at the palace was underway. The Palace Board is overseeing the works which included the replacement of fused bulbs, painting of palace surroundings, and beautification of gardens.

A heavy-duty crane was being used to help the workers reach the heights of the palace for changing the bulbs. Usually, the fused bulbs are replaced only once a year when the festivities approach and this has been practised since decades.

The work is expected to be done by October 5 or 6, as the festivities will get off to a start on October 7. Former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna will be inaugurating this year’s Nada Habba atop the Chamundi Hills.

The Mysore Palace Board spends about ₹90 lakh every year on palace illumination. It pays an estimated ₹80,000 to the electricity supply company for illuminating the palace for an hour. Although 40 W bulbs were used in the past, the authorities made a switch to 15 W bulbs — a lakh of them — to overcome circuit burnout. It is estimated that close to 1.2 lakh kWh of electricity was consumed a year for illuminating the iconic palace structure.