Mysuru Dasara fame elephant Balarama passes away, PM Modi pays his respects

Balarama, the iconic elephant of Mysuru Dasara celebrations, passed away on Sunday evening due to age–related health issues and TB. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid tributes to Balarama and said that he is saddened by the incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “For many years, Gajraja Balarama was a key part of the iconic Dasara celebrations in Mysuru. People fondly recall him carrying the Murthy of Maa Chamundeshwari. His passing away is saddening. Om Shanti.”

According to reports, Balarama has been unwell and stopped consuming food and water for a while now. An officer told The Indian express, “He was a calm and composed elephant and helped a lot in training other elephants as well. The postmortem will be conducted, and he will even be buried with state honors.” Balarama was born in 1958 and he carried the golden howdah thirteen times during the Mysuru Dasara festival. He lived at an elephant camp in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve of Karnataka.

Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah also paid his respect to Balarama. He tweeted, “It was saddened to hear the news of the demise of 'Balarama', the popular elephant who had run Jamboo Savari, the focal point of Mysore Dussehra, for more than a decade with great success. Even though Balarama is no longer with us today, his memory will remain forever in our hearts.”