The Jamboo Savari procession, held as part of the Dasara celebrations in Shivamogga on Wednesday (October 21, 2026), witnessed scary scenes, when the elephant carrying the howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari ran helter-skelter within minutes of the procession kicking off, leaving the public, elephant caretakers, and the police personnel in shock.

Somanna, the elephant from the Sakrebailu camp which was carrying the howdah for the first time during the Dasara procession, had moved about 500 metres from the Kote Anjaneya Swamy temple on Kote Road when it suddenly turned back. Another elephant, Bahaddur, followed, triggering chaos and confusion among the crowd.

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Caretakers and Shivamogga City Corporation staff ran behind the animals to stop them. Somanna ran towards a corner, the howdah slipped off, and the elephant hit a couple of cars and two-wheelers.

The city corporation had brought three elephants, Sagar, Bahadur, and Somanna, from the Sakrebailu camp for the procession. Sagar had carried the howdah for the last six years, but Somanna was chosen for the task on Wednesday morning.

The caretakers eventually brought the animals under control. By then, the howdah had fallen and the staff had carried the idol of Chamundeshwari away from the scene.

Superintendent of Police B. Nikhil told reporters that the procession would continue as scheduled, without elephants. “The elephant carrying the howdah ran backwards, creating chaos and tension. Another elephant also followed. A couple of vehicles were damaged. There were no casualties,” he said.

He appealed to the public to take part in the procession to Allama Prabhu Park as per the schedule.

DCF reaction

Prasanna Krishna Patagar, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), told The Hindu that the elephant was probably frightened by the huge crowd and suddenly moved backwards.

“For the first time, Somanna was carrying the howdah. Last year, Sagar handled the responsibility. During the rehearsal, however, we noticed that Somanna’s performance was better, and the mahouts and caretakers felt the same. Hence, he was chosen to carry the howdah,” he said.

After the elephant moved backwards and ran helter-skelter, the staff and veterinarians brought it under control. “The animal was sedated to bring it under control. Now it is calm,” he said.

The elephants are expected to be taken back to the camp on Thursday (October 22, 2026).

First exposure

Somanna, a 36-year-old elephant, carried the howdah during the Dasara festival for the first time. In fact, he had no previous experience of taking part in the event. Last year, three elephants, Sagar, Bahaddur and Balanna, took part in the Dasara procession. This time, Somanna replaced Balanna.

Officials believe that Somanna, carrying the howdah for the first time, was frightened by the large crowd along the procession route. Apart from the rehearsal, he had hardly been exposed to such a large gathering.

Past incident

The incident reminded residents of Shivamogga of the 2023 Dasara celebrations in the city. Nethravathi, one of the elephants chosen for the procession that year, gave birth to a female calf hours before the procession was to begin. Officials and caretakers had no idea that she was pregnant, and she had taken part in the rehearsals for three days. The administration then resolved not to involve elephants in the procession.

The development had angered many animal lovers and wildlife activists.