The Elephant And The Maharaja

Mysuru’s celebrated Dasara carnival was put at risk this year by two elephants who battled for top position in the grounds of the royal palace, it can be revealed.

Only days before the start of the festivities attended by the Chief Minister and the Maharaja of Mysuru, the two normally docile jumbos took their mahouts by surprise in an unexpected confrontation during feeding time.

Both tuskers named as Kanjan and Dhananjay were in training for the magnificent Dasara celebrations that include wrestling bouts, cultural and music events, including a song and light show, and a grand procession of elephants that starts in front of the illuminated royal palace.

Elephant Dhananjay with mahout Bhashan

The Maharaja was safe in his palace, and his Maharani allegedly nibbled the equivalent of bread and honey, when the 60 years old elephants tried to break bounds. Kanjan, weighing more than 4,500 kilograms, even managed to escape out of the Eastern gate of the palace before he was tranquilised and safely returned.

“They were trying to show off”, says mahout Vijay who is in charge of majestic Kanjan. Mahout Bhashan, in charge of the equally majestic Dhananjaya, agrees. “Its like a bit of boasting or rivalry. Each one likes to prove he’s better. During feeding time they like to show off their strength.

Despite the mini chaos and temporary panic, the elephants remain as popular as ever with visiting crowds, the mahouts agree. Their tried and tested technique for keeping bull elephants like Kanjan and Dhananjaya quiet is to place a female or cow elephant between them. On the day of the break-out no female elephant was available to keep an eye on the two males as they lumbered towards the palace gates.

Elephant Kanjan with mahout Vijay

Both had a key role to play in the procession of nine elephants that winds its way through the streets of Mysuru. This year they followed lead elephant Abhimanyu who was entrusted with carrying an idol of the Hindu goddess Chamundeshwari, a reincarnation of Durga.

When the elephants first bolted, concerns were raised about the safety of the public, the idol and the golden howdah (see pic) on which it is placed during the street procession. In the event the concerns proved groundless and the subdued elephants decorated with tikka marks on their foreheads remained passive throughout the celebrations.

After Dasara they remain a popular draw for the estimated 5,000 daily visitors who pay upto Rs 100 per ticket to visit the palace. The elephants are kept in an open enclosure at one end of the palace estate where they are fed, watered and groomed by their mahouts. Dr Prabhu Gowda, Deputy Conservator of Forests, explains they will remain in the palace grounds for a few more weeks until they are dispersed to elephant camps throughout Karnataka.

From the Mysore Royal collection

Before Dasara it was Dr Prabhu who advised members of the public to be cautious in their interactions with all the elephants. "They should maintain a safe distance from the elephants and keep children away from them”, he was reported as saying. “They should neither throw flowers at them nor feed them. They should not follow them. They should avoid flash photography. “

Among the elephants’ well wishers is 32 year old Yaduveer Wadiyar, the ruling BJP party MP for Mysuru and the 22nd maharaja of the Wadiyar dynasty that was founded more than 600 years ago in 1399. “My ancestors were vassals to the viceroy of the Vijaynagra empire, Yaduveer reveals in an exclusive interview. “When the empire crumbled, we were able to consolidate power in this region and Raj Wadiyar was thought to be the only powerful force here.”

Today the Wadiyars are among India’s oldest royal families, outmatched only by some of the royal families of Rajasthan. They have a longer, unbroken lineage than most of the royal families of Europe, including the Mountbatten-Windsors who wear the crown in Britain.

Yaduveer (see pic) is a nephew and adopted heir of the last Maharaja, Srikantadatta, who died in 2013, and his wife Pramoda Devi. Yaduveer’s own wife, Trishika Kumari, is a princess of Dungarpur in Rajasthan and the niece of the Maharana of Udaipur.

Once upon a time the Maharaja of Mysuru was estimated as one of the richest royals of India with a fleet of 70 cars, including the so-called seven sisters made by Bentley, and the Mysuru royal Daimler that was used for the 1961 state visit to Mysuru by the late Queen Elizabeth 2 of the UK. The Wadiyars were only outdone by the Nizam who had a personal collection of 200 cars. All that remains of the original fleet is a handful of Mercedes bearing the double headed eagle emblem of the Wadiyars (see pic)

Mysuru’s links with the current British monarch have been maintained by King Charles and Queen Camilla who have been private patients an ayurvedic treatment centre three hours north of the city. Yaduveer himself has no contact with the King or Queen but his courtiers retain meticulous video records of the late Queen’s visit when she was greeted by cheering crowds and personally welcomed by Yaduveer’s grandfather Maharaja Jayachamanrajendra Wadiyar. A portrait of George V and Queen Mary surrounded by their children hangs in the current Maharaja’s study.

Dressed in his crisp white cotton garments of kurta pyjama, six foot tall Yaduveer is reluctant to discuss what remains of the Wadiyars’ personal wealth, including their legendary collection of jewels, such as the royal turban, ganderbunda, chokers, anklets, pendants and toe rings that were set in gold and encrusted with rubies, emeralds and pearls originating from Basra in Iraq.

“For Dasara it's all out for display, otherwise we generally don’t show, we’ve never done it before and we don’t do it..primarily because of issues with the state and their claiming everything. They claim everything is theirs,” the Maharaja explains.

He admits his mother and aunts are all extremely fond of precious beads, including pearls and pigeon blood rubies, because of their religious significance. “The way we want to show aspects of dharma and that comes with the beads as well, a lot of beads are there in a raw form..if you like it, you like it.

“I see it from the practicality of which is easier to wear..I know my mother likes beads a lot, so did my late father, certainly in the older pictures beads play a big part because the idea of cutting jewellery all came from the western influence. Indian jewellery is all uncut beads, diamonds, uncut stones.”

He is more than happy, however, to talk about the famous elephant mounted howdah (see pic) encased in 750 kilograms of pure gold that plays such an important role in the Dasara festival.

“The golden howdah belongs to us, belongs to my mother. We’ve had a nearly 30 year tussle with the government of Karnataka who also claim the Mysore Palace and the Bangalore Palace belong to the state and they have a right to acquire it. It reached the Supreme Court..”

“The gold howdah. That has become clear. It is my mother’s..750 kg of gold..it is a wooden thing with a lot of gold on it as well, the public see that, you can see that as well.”

Asked why Mysuru royals are so loyal to elephants, compared with European aristocrats who focus on horses, or Rajasthani royals who nurture camels, Yaduveer responds, “The elephant has played a crucial role in India throughout its history. They were part of the army and our armies were strong because of the elephants.

“The ability of Indians kings from time immemorial to militarise the elephant is the equivalent of a battle tank in ancient times..something no other country in the world ever had. When Alexander moved to India, apart from his troops being tired after fighting King Porus, he realised that if he went into the interior that’s where the real armies were. Porus was just a small chieftain and that itself was hard. So if he went further into India the Magaddan army, which was prior to Chandragupta Maurya, or the Rajput kings had armies 10-20 times greater with elephants in them, all the way upto Mysore.

“The number of elephants the king had in his kingdom was central to how powerful his military was and how powerful his kingdom was.”

Yaduveer with pic of British monarch George V and family