Jamboo Savari” is the great elephant procession of Mysore kings during the post-monsoon festival of Dussehra. Many people think Jamboo or Jambi comes from the word “jumbo” which means “extra large” and was the name of a large African elephant imported to Victorian England. 

However, in Mysore, the word comes from “jammi” which is the name of the khejri (acacia) tree, a thorny tree, where Pandavas stored their weapons until it was time to go to war. During Dussehra is the “seema-ulanghan” (boundary-shattering) ceremony, the breaking of boundaries, when this tree is worshipped and its leaves plucked by kings. This is clearly a North India practice that came to South India following the southern migration of Brahmins on invitation of local kings such as Mayurasharma of Kadamba dynasty around 400 AD.