Drona (c. 1936 – 1998) was one of the lead Dasara Elephants of the

Jamboo Savari 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 ...

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 ...

. He carried the Golden Howdah for a record 18 years consecutive years between 1981 and 1997, before being electrocuted while grazing in 1998. Of all the carrier elephants since the 20th century, he is considered the best "because he possessed an excellent ability to learn and correct himself".

The name

The elephant was named after

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 ...

, the great guru of

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

. In the epic, Dronacharya is a priest, but he was so mature and intelligent that he taught warfare for a livelihood. The elephant Drona was named so because of his amazing ability to learn and correct himself.

History

Drona was captured in a

khedda A khedda (or ''Kheddah'') or the Khedda system was a stockade trap for the capture of a full herd of elephants that was used in India; other methods were also used to capture single elephants. The elephants were driven into the stockade by ski ...

operation in the

Kakanakote {{coord, 11, 53, 55, N, 76, 12, 10, E, display=title Kakanakote is situated at a distance of 73 km from Mysore in Karnataka state, India. It is a thick forest of the Western Ghats, and a famous place where a large number of wild elephants c ...

forest area of

Heggadadevana kote Heggadadevanakote or H.D.Kote is a town and a taluk headquarters in Mysore district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Kakana kote forest lies in Heggadadevana kote taluk. H.D Kote city is divided into 13 wards for which elections are held every ...

in 1971. He was used for a brief period in

Shimoga Shimoga, officially Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the Karnataka state of India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of the Western Ghats, the city ...

to carry timber. Doddappaji was Drona's

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 ...

. Doddappaji's association with Drona began from the day it was captured, as his father, Chennakeshavaiah, was in charge of taming it. Having grown up together, he understood the animal better than anyone else.

The Mahout

Doddappaji, who once handled

, the

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 ...

that carried the howdah, has refused to take part in the Dasara festivities since Drona was electrocuted. A third generation mahout and an expert in taming wild

s, Doddappaji is haunted by memories of Drona. After the death of Drona, he has requested senior officials not to ask him to participate in the "

." The mahout says he has not come across another elephant that matches the size and strength of Drona, whom people adored for his gentle behaviour.

Death

Drona died of electrocution in 1998, when he was grazing in the

Nagarhole National Park Nagarahole National Park is a national park located in Kodagu district and Mysore district in Karnataka, India. This park was declared the 37th Tiger Reserve of India in 1999. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The Western Ghats ...

, that spans across the borders of

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 ...

and Mysore districts 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 ...

. In a village, Balle, attempting to eat the leaves from a tree, he pulled down the trunk, which brought down a high-tension power cable and instantly electrocuted him. Following his death, Drona was mourned in Karnataka.

References

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External links