Balarama (elephant)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Balarama ( – 7 May 2023) was the lead
elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...
of the
Mysore Dasara Mysore Dasara is the state festival in the state of Karnataka in India. It is a 10-day festival, starting with nine nights called Navaratri and the last day being Vijayadashami. The festival is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu calendar m ...
procession and carried the idol of goddess
Chamundeshwari Chamunda (, ), also known as Chamundeshwari, Chamundi or Charchika, is a fearsome form of Chandi, the Hindu mother goddess, Mahadevi and is one of the seven Matrikas.Wangu p.72 She is also one of the chief Yoginis, a group of sixty-four or ei ...
on the fabled Golden Howdah thirteen times between 1999 and 2011. Balarama was a bull born about 1958 and was accompanied in the procession by other Dasara Elephants. Of the many (about 16) elephants participating, Balarama was one of the star attractions when he carried on his back the sacred idol of goddess
Chamundeshwari Chamunda (, ), also known as Chamundeshwari, Chamundi or Charchika, is a fearsome form of Chandi, the Hindu mother goddess, Mahadevi and is one of the seven Matrikas.Wangu p.72 She is also one of the chief Yoginis, a group of sixty-four or ei ...
in the golden howdah on the auspicious 10th day of Dasara celebrations.


History

Balarama was captured in 1987 in the Kattepura forest near
Somwarpet Somwarpet (''somavārapēte'', also written ''Somvarpet'') is a panchayat town in Kodagu district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Karnataka. It is the main town of the Somwarpet taluk, in the north-east of the district. ...
, in the
Kodagu Kodagu district () (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative List of districts of Karnataka, district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State at which point it was merged ...
region of
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
. Balarama has taken part in the Dasara procession since 1994, carrying the golden howdah. A very silent bull (against the norm for elephants), he was said to be an introvert, and had to have special training so he could withstand the firing of cannons that occurs during the festival. He succeeded
Drona Droṇa (, ), also referred to as Dronacharya (, ), is a major character of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he serves as the royal preceptor of the Kauravas and the Pandavas. He is one of the primary counsellors and warriors featured ...
as the carrier of the Golden Howdah. Balarama was not the first choice to carry the Howdah after Drona. Elephant Arjuna, a 44-year-old bull weighing was supposed to be the carrier of the howdah, but was sidelined for accidentally killing a Mahout. One day, Arjuna went to bathe in a river with elephant Bahadur and Bahadur's trainer Annayya. While crossing a road, the elephants were startled by a vehicle and in the chaos that ensued, the rider Annayya fell down to the ground, only to be stamped on the head by Arjuna. He was crushed to death. People opined that an elephant that had killed a man was unfit to carry the religious duties of Dasara. So Arjuna, while being as capable as Drona, was not given the honorable duty, though he did have the honour of carrying the Chinnada Ambari once before being replaced by Balarama. Balarama had been rested from the duty of carrying the Golden Howdah due to his reducing weight and has been succeeded by Arjuna. Balarama led the procession as the 'nishane aane' or the lead elephant. Balarama's Mahout Sannappa once refused to mount Balarama after his family were stopped by the police from watching him ride during Dasara. Balarama refused food given to him by anybody other than his
Mahout A mahout is an elephant rider, trainer, or keeper. Mahouts were used since antiquity for both civilian and military use. Traditionally, mahouts came from ethnic groups with generations of elephant keeping experience, with a mahout retainin ...
. Balarama weighed about 4590 Kilograms and he conquered the hearts of human beings by his majestic looks and the silence that he possessed. He was looked after at the Morkal Elephant camp at Nagarahole national park and his previous mahout Sannappa has retired and his new master Thimma has taken over. The 67-year-old elephant was critically ill and under the care of a veterinarians at the Bhimanakatte elephant camp in the Hunsur range of the Nagarhole park. Despite the efforts of the medical team, Balarama’s condition deteriorated. According to reports, Balarama had been recovering from an ulcer in his mouth but the veterinarian treating him suspected that he may have been suffering from tuberculosis. He died on 7 May 2023.


See also

*
List of individual elephants The following is a list of culturally or scientifically notable elephants. Actors * Chirakkal Kalidasan, one of the tallest elephants in Kerala, also notable for acting in some films, including the 2017 epic film, ''Baahubali 2: The Conc ...


References


External links

*''Balarama: A Royal Elephant'', Ted & Besty Lewin,
Lee & Low Books Lee & Low Books is an independent children's book publisher focusing on diversity. History Lee & Low was founded in 1991 by Chinese Americans Tom Low and Philip Lee as a children's book publisher specializing in books featuring people of color a ...
, 2009-08-01, .
Colour photo and news article
*{{usurped,

}

1950s animal births 2023 animal deaths Culture of Mysore Individual elephants in India Individual Asian elephants