Mysore : It costs Rs 32 lakh to maintain the Dasara elephants for a period of 45-50 days. This is the approximate amount spent on 14 elephants who have arrived in Mysore from different camps. The expenditure also includes the amount spent on mahouts and their family members, who will be residing in the temporary shelter in the palace.

An average of Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500 is spent on each elephant daily. The cost includes everything from their transportation to the city from the forests, fodder, medicines, the cost of rope and chains, as well as the soft cloth placed on the elephants. Deputy Conservator of Forests Devaraj said an average of Rs 20 lakh is spent on food alone. The government has sanctioned Rs 25 lakh and the district administration Rs 7 lakh.

The diet includes banyan tree branches, jaggery, sugarcane, coconut, crushed groundnut extract, paddy and other foods rich in nutrients and protein.

Six people are supplying fodder for the elephants during Dasara. They are Chotu alias Babu, Ravi, Nanjappa, Basavaraju, Veerappan and Siddaramaiah.