Mysuru Dasara Elephants: Forest Department Introduces ₹100 Entry Fee, New Rules

Visitors to the Mysuru Palace grounds will now have to pay ₹100 to see Dasara elephants, while children below 12 will pay ₹50. The Forest Department has also imposed a 20-minute viewing limit and banned close-up photos, reels and feeding.

Tourists and locals visiting the Mysuru Palace grounds to see the famous Dasara elephants will now have to pay an entry fee under a new rule introduced by the Forest Department. The move is being implemented to regulate crowds and ensure the safety of visitors and elephants. Adults above 12 years will be charged ₹100, while children below 12 years will have to pay ₹50. However, visitors will be allowed to observe the elephants only for a limited period and must follow several safety restrictions.

Under the new guidelines, visitors can watch the elephants for a maximum of 20 minutes. They must maintain a minimum distance of two metres from the elephants or remain behind a barricade positioned 100 metres away. Visitors are also prohibited from making social media reels, taking close-up photographs or feeding the elephants.

SOP Cited As Reason For The Fee

The Forest Department has cited a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) as the reason for introducing the restrictions. According to the department, the SOP was introduced following a recent incident in which an elephant allegedly attacked a person at the Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu.

To enforce the new safety measures, barricades have been installed near the Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple and the Trineshwara Temple. Ticket sales began on a trial basis last Friday.

Public And Tourists Raise Concerns

The decision to charge visitors to watch the Dasara elephants has drawn criticism from members of the public and tourists. One visitor questioned the need to charge an entry fee, saying that crowd-control measures such as barricades could be introduced without imposing a fee.

Meanwhile, some eyewitnesses alleged that while members of the public were being stopped and asked to purchase tickets, relatives and friends of forest officials and police personnel were being allowed to enter without paying and were permitted to get closer to the elephants.

The allegations have not been independently verified. Visitors have called for greater transparency in the implementation of the new system and urged the authorities to reconsider the entry fee.