The Golden Howdah is a howdah

Howdah

A howdah, or houdah, also known as hathi howdah, is a carriage which is positioned on the back of an elephant, or occasionally some other animal, used most often in the past to carry wealthy people or for use in hunting or warfare...

, the carrier mounted on the lead elephant during the Jamboo Savari (Elephant Procession) of the famous Mysore Dasara

Mysore Dasara

Mysore Dasara is the Nadahabba of the state of Karnataka. It is also called Navaratri and is a 10-day festival with the last day being Vijayadashami, the most auspicious day of Dasara. Dasara usually falls in the month of September or October...

. It is the cynosure

Cynosure

Cynosure is a fictional pan-dimensional city that exists within the First Comics multiverse. It is described as floating in a "bubble" in the "pan-dimensional vortex." Because of its unique situation, Cynosure is an important center of multi-versal commerce and much of the city's government is...

of all eyes during the famous Dasara festivities.

The Howdah

The exact date of its making is not known. The 750-kg-howdah, used in the Jamboo Savari (elephant procession) on the Vijayadashami day, has two wide seats in rows, bigger than the interiors of a family car. The Rajas of Mysore used this howdah in the famous Dasara procession, which traversed through the thoroughfares of the princely city during the festival every year. But since the abolition of royalty the statue of Chamundeshwari is being carried in the howdah. The Howdah is made of Pure gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

.

The Procession

The golden Howdah is mounted on the Lead elephant with the statue of Nadadevathe or State Deity Chamundeshwari place in it. The procession goes through the Mysore city for about 2 kilometers before terminating. The Elephant

Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...

 carrying the Howdah is trained and groomed to do the job years before it actually does it. Nowadays the honor of carrying the Golden howadh and the statue of Chamundeshwari has fallen on Elephant Balarama

Elephant Balarama

Balarama is the lead elephant of the world famous Mysore Dasara procession and carries the statue of goddess Chamundeshwari on the fabled Golden Howdah. Balarama is a bull born cand is accompanied in the procession by other Dasara Elephants...

. As of September 2008 Balarama, has the distinction of participating in the procession 14 times and had the honour of carrying the howdah on nine occasions.