Latest news with #Bheema
Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
Bheema emerges as heaviest jumbo in weight check for Dasara celebrations
Mysuru: The first batch of nine elephants, which arrived at Mysuru Palace on Sunday for the Dasara celebrations, underwent a weight check on Monday. Bheema, a 25-year-old young elephant fondly called the "brother of Arjuna" and a crowd favourite, emerged as the heaviest at 5,465 kg, followed closely by howdah elephant Abhimanyu at 5,360 kg. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now At the lighter end was kumki elephant Cauvery, weighing 3,010 kg. Given that foresters could stop using Abhimanyu to carry the golden howdah on his back and amble the 5km Dasara procession route from the Mysuru Palace to the Banni Mantap Grounds amidst a multitude of people, Bheema could succeed him. He is 2.85m tall and has good looks. He is also composed and from Mathigodu Elephant Camp in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. Generally, tuskers from Nagarahole make the cut as Dasara howdah elephants in recent times, be it Dhrona, Balarama, Arjuna, and Abhimanyu. As the forest department has not used lead elephants after they cross 60 years, there is a crisis, which Bheema could solve as he is a regular to Mysuru since the 2017 edition of the Dasara festival. He is also taller than Abhimanyu and used during operations to rescue tigers in the forest areas or its fringes. The weigh-in took place at a weighbridge on Dhanvantri Road. Officials said all elephants will be placed on a special nutritious diet until the Dasara procession to maintain their weight and stamina. IB Prabhu Gowda, DCF (wildlife), said, "All nine elephants are in good shape. Bheema, even in the forest, takes great care of his health, which is why he maintains such good weight. As for the rain, elephants enjoy them. To ensure mahouts and kavadis stay dry, we'll provide raincoats and umbrellas." Elephant weight Bheema - 5,465 kg, Abhimanyu - 5,360 kg, Ekalavya - 5,305 kg, Dhananjaya - 5,310 kg, Mahendra - 5,120 kg, Prasantha - 5,110 kg, Kanjan - 4,880 kg, Lakshmi - 3,730 kg, Kaveri - 3,010 kg
The Hindu
a day ago
- General
- The Hindu
Bheema is the heaviest Dasara jumbo
The young tusker surpasses the 'Ambari' elephant Abhimanyu's weight, as it weighed a whopping 5,465 kg; the howdah-carrying elephant weighed 5,360 kg Ahead of their training for the famed Jamboo Savari, all nine Dasara elephants had their weights checked on Monday before beginning their daily practice sessions for the grand procession, which is witnessed by lakhs of people. The first batch of elephants arrived here a week ago from their respective jungle camps and were camping at Aranya Bhavan before they were formally welcomed into the palace premises during a grand event held on Sunday evening. Abhimanyu is leading the jumbo team. The elephants, mahouts and kavadis, and their family members are camping on the palace premises with all arrangements made by the district administration for their stay. Like every year, it is customary that the weight of jumbos is checked once they arrive from their respective jungle camps since the forest authorities will get to know the weight of each elephant and accordingly plan their diet during their stay. They are fed nutritious foods to keep them fit and healthy, and successfully undergo training. Surprisingly, tusker Bheema is heavier than Abhimanyu, the lead elephant. Bheema is the heaviest among the nine elephants, as it weighed 5,465 kg at a weigh bridge here on Monday. The 59-year-old Abhimanyu, which carries the 750-kg golden howdah, is the second heaviest as it weighed 5,360 kg. The Abhimanyu is the most versatile with the reputation of carrying out its tasks perfectly with finesse, including the Dasara tasks, as well as the forest operations for catching wild elephants or during operations to capture tigers. The third heaviest jumbo in the team is Dhananjaya, which weighed 5,310 kg. The fourth heaviest is Ekalavya, which weighed 5,305 kg, followed by Mahendra, which weighed 5,120 kg. It is Ekavalya's second Dasara. Prashanth weighed 5,110 kg – ten kg short of Mahendra's weight. The weight of other elephants is like this – Kanjan 4,880 kg, Lakshmi 3,730 kg, and Kaveri 3,010. Bheema has significantly gained weight when compared to last year. The young elephant weighed 4,945 kilos last year. Abhimanyu weighed 5,560 kg last year. Speaking to reporters, Deputy Conservator of Forest Prabhu Gowda said the weight of elephants are checked before their 'taleem' (training) in order to prepare each jumbo's diet chart and prepare them for the tasks ahead of the Jamboo Savari. 'The diet chart will be prepared after discussions with the veterinarians. All elephants have good weights and are in good health. More proteins are added to their diet chart. Once the chart is prepared, the daily training will commence,' he said.
Deccan Herald
7 days ago
- General
- Deccan Herald
After Gajapayana, Dasara elephants bathe and enjoy good food at Mysuru's Aranya Bhavan
After the hectic Gajapayana on Monday, bracing the huge crowd that crossed 10,000 people, the Dasara jumbos were in a relaxing mood at the Aranya Bhavan in Mysuru on nine jumbos that participated in Gajapayana at Veeranahosahalli of Hunsur taluk were brought in trucks to the Aranya Bhavan in Ashokapuram of the city on Monday evening. It was the first day of the pachyderms' stay in Mysuru for this year's Dasara, and they were given a soothing bath and good food. They remained playful throughout the batchAll elephants in the first batch - Abhimanyu, who has carried the golden howdah five times, Bheema, Mahendra, Prashantha, Dhananjaya, Ekalavya, Kanjan, Lakshmi and Kaveri - have been housed at the Aranya Bhavan. They will stay here for a few days, after which they will be sent to the Mysuru Palace, where they will be housed till Vijayadashami, the Jamboo Savari day, the last leg of Dasara people are coming in large numbers to the Aranya Bhavan to have a glimpse of the jumbos that will be participating in the famed Dasara the Forest department has taken all security measures and has erected barricades to prevent people from going near the Dasara elephants from various forest camps arrive at Aranya Bhavan in a relaxed moodI B Prabhu Gowda, DCF (Wildlife), Mysuru division, said that the jumbos were in a relaxed mood on the first day of their stay in Mysuru on Tuesday. Expressing happiness over the smooth Gajapayana event at Veeranahosahalli, under the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve on Monday, he said that more than 7,000 people took part in it and the procession looked like a mini Dasara. The jumbos too behaved well and did not react negatively to the jumbos were subjected to all kinds of medical examinations before coming to Mysuru, like blood test, liver, kidney and heart condition, and all are the nine jumbos in the first batch are experienced. Their behaviour has changed and they should have realised that they have come to participate in the Dasara festivities. They are all friendly and relaxed and there is no problem, he jumbos are being fed with fodder, grass, paddy and hay at the Aranya Bhavan. The special nutritious diet will begin once they reach Mysuru Palace, he date givenThe tentative date given is August 10. It is said that the jumbos are likely to reach the Mysuru Palace and will be given a traditional welcome at the Jayamarthanda Gate, between the auspicious time 6.40 pm and 7.20 pm on August 10. It will be the first time that the jumbos are being welcomed to the Palace in the second batch of Dasara jumbos - Gopi, Sugreeva, Srikanta, Roopa and Hemavathi - will reach Mysuru in a few weeks. They will be trained for Dasara. The Dasara will be inaugurated atop the Chamundi Hill on September 22, while the Jamboo Savari will be held on Vijayadashami, on October 2.
The Hindu
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Revanth asks Naidu to stop Rayalaseema LIP, not come in the way of Palamuru-RR project
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy appealed to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu to cancel the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project and not obstruct the Palamuru-Rangareddy project. 'If appeals don't work, we, as the children of Palamuru, know how to fight for our rights,' he warned, adding that at any cost, Palamuru, which was neglected in the past, would be developed. In an emotional tone, he said that 'Palamuru's son' is now the Chief Minister and would take care of its development by fighting against all odds. Addressing the 'Praja Palana - Pragati Bata' public meeting in Jataprolu of Nagarkurnool district, he accused former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao of betraying the aspirations of the people of Palamuru during his decade-long rule. 'Palamuru sent KCR to Parliament depite his political migration from Karimnagar but not a single time, he raised his voice in Parliament for the disrict.' He criticised KCR for abandoning critical irrigation projects such as Palamuru-Rangareddy, Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu, and Bheema. 'KCR spent a lakh of crores on Kaleshwaram, which turned defunct within three years. A few thousands of crores on the pending projects would have been more useful for Telangana but KCR had other intentions,' he alleged and promised to complete these long-pending projects within the next two years. Till 2034 Mr. Revanth Reddy also alleged that KCR was unable to digest that 'Palamuru's son' was ruling the State and exuded confidence that the same person would continue to lead the State till 2034. Highlighting his government's achievements, Mr. Revanth Reddy said 24 hours of free power to farmers, waiver of ₹21,000 crore worth of farm loans in the first year itself and ₹9,000 crore for Rythu Bharosa within nine days were welfare schemes that opposition parties failed to notice. He also took pride in his government providing ₹344 crore worth of interest-free loans to 3.52 lakh self-help groups across Telangana. Specifically, in the Kolhapur constituency, ₹6.33 crore was given to 2,671 groups, and ₹41.61 crore was extended to 570 groups. He reiterated the government's efforts to support women through various initiatives — Amma Adarsh Schools, Indira Mahila Shakti canteens, and empowering them through petrol bunks and solar plants to compete with industrial giants. Patriarchal mindset Taking a swipe at KCR's alleged patriarchal mindset, he alleged that the BRS chief thought girls belonged to kitchens while the Congress was turning them into entrepreneurs and owners. Earlier, the CM laid the foundation for the Young India Integrated Residential School in Jataprolu and promised that within a year and a half it would be completed. He also offered prayers at the Madanagopala Swamy temple.
Time of India
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
As charges swirl, KLIS duel boils over
Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy slammed former minister T Harish Rao , alleging that Telangana's irrigation sector suffered irreversible damage due to the faulty decisions made by the BRS govt. He demanded Harish Rao tender an unconditional apology for misleading the people of the state on the Kaleshwaram project. In a statement on Saturday, Uttam refuted the allegations levelled by Harish Rao and claimed that after the BRS govt inaugurated the project in 2019, only 162 TMC of water was lifted, of which 63 TMC was released into the sea. He demanded an answer from Harish on how the BRS govt managed to irrigate 22 lakh acres with just 99 TMC. "The BRS govt took out rallies after their delegation returned from Maharashtra and announced that a barrage would be constructed at Thummidihatti. A gravity canal was also constructed from Thummidihatti to Yellampally, covering a distance of 100 km. While that was a gravity-based project, Kaleshwaram relies on reverse pumping — only to release a huge quantity of water into sea," the minister claimed. He also dismissed allegations that the previous Congress govt had spent very little on the Pranahitha-Chevella project. He said before the formation of state, 6,156 crore was spent on the project and by 2016, it rose to 11,679 crore. The minister further said the Central Water Commission had never claimed there was no water availability at Thummidithatti. He said that had the BRS govt completed the project at the site with about 38,000 crore, it could have irrigated 17 lakh acres of new ayacut up to Chevella — eliminating the need for 1 lakh crore for the Kaleshwaram project. Of the remaining amount of 62,000 crore (if Pranahitha-Chevella was taken up with 38,000 cr), the govt could have completed many projects such as Palamuru, Nettampadu, Bheema, SLBC, Dindi, Sitharama, and other projects, Uttam claimed. He further said the govt was paying 16,000 crore in interest on the loans taken by the BRS govt for the Kaleshwaram project.
