Capturing and Taming Wild Elephants (as told by Ali)

[Sakobav]

I read this on http://www.indiaofthepast.org..
There are some quite interesting stories of by gone days as recalled by various authors - Enjoy

Nice recap written from Child hood memories by Mr SShenoi, a civil engineer

Just a snippet here
http://www.indiaofthepast.org/contribut ... mpv-shenoi

In the 1940s, I was a young boy living in Mysore, which was a Princely State at that time. If I stepped into main street from our house in Mysore, and walked due east, I would soon come to the Ane-karoti stables, which housed the elephants belonging to royal household of Mysore. I am not sure whether any elephants were still a part of the bits and pieces of the purely ceremonial Mysore army that the ruling British had allowed to be maintained. Like the army, the elephants in the stable were mostly ceremonial. They were brought out on special occasions such as Dussera, birth day of Maharaja, Yuvaraja (crown prince), and the yearly chariot procession of the Gods’ of the temples that were within the palace precincts. On these occasions, the elephants were draped in embroidered fabrics, gold plated trinkets and floral design painted on skin.

The stables had about 10-12 adult elephants and a few calves. One of the elephants was Pattada-ane, a revered tusker whom the Maharajah worshipped during Dussera. There was another elephant on which the royal howdah was mounted when the Maharaja went in procession from his palace to Banny mantap and back on the last day of Dussera.