Abhimanyu: From wild elephant taskmaster to Dasara’s golden howdah bearer
Abhimanyu, a long-serving elephant in the Mysuru Dasara squad, is retiring at age 60 after a distinguished career. Known for carrying the golden howdah and taming wild elephants, he is being relieved of his duties due to age-related restrictions.
Why it matters
The retirement of a high-profile cultural and conservation icon highlights the intersection of traditional heritage festivals and animal welfare standards in India.
Abhimanyu was not merely the perfect tusker to carry the 750-kg golden howdah with majesty and ease. He was also a taskmaster when it came to taming errant wild elephants in the forests.
Whenever wild elephants went berserk and created trouble, Abhimanyu was summoned to tame and control them. He played a crucial role in several challenging forest operations, including operations to capture wild animals such as tigers.
Abhimanyu was named the lead elephant of the Mysuru Dasara jumbo squad in 2020, after the celebrated Arjuna was retired on attaining the age of 60. Since elephants above 60 cannot be deployed for strenuous activities, the Forest Department has now decided to relieve Abhimanyu from Dasara duties after he attained the age of 60 in April this year.
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