'Carnival of sorts': Palace city of Mysuru gears up for Dasara festival

Mysuru: It is that time of a year again, when this palace city gets decked up for annual 10-day-long celebrations, playing host to a plethora of religious and cultural events, to keep up the traditions of celebrating Dasara or Navaratri festival that began in 1610.

Celebrated as ”Nada Habba” (state festival), the festivities will be a grand affair this year depicting Karnataka’s rich culture and traditions, coupled with reminiscence of royal pomp and glory.

Dasara, considered to be one of the biggest and most important festivals of the region, grew as a festival of masses under the royal patronage of the then Mysuru dynasty; continuing with the traditions, it is being celebrated under the auspices of the Government of Karnataka, after India became independent and republic.

Renowned writer and scholar Hampa Nagarajaiah will be inaugurating the festivities during the auspicious “Vrushchika Lagna” between 9.15 am and 9.45 am on October 3, by showering flowers on the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru and its royals, amid chanting of vedic hymns, at the premises of Chamundeshwari temple atop the Chamundi Hills here.

He will be accompanied by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, several of his cabinet colleagues, senior officials among others at the inaugural. They are also likely to visit the Chamundeshwari temple and offer prayers to the goddess, who is referred to as “Naada Devate” (state deity), ahead of the inaugural.

The 10-days event, like every year, is likely to showcase Karnataka’s cultural heritage resplendent with folk art forms; it attracts large crowds and tourists, officials have said.

Siddaramaiah had recently said that it has been decided to celebrate Mysuru Dasara with grandeur and in a meaningful way this year, in the wake of good rains in the state.

Various programmes will be held during these auspicious days of Navrathri, during which the palace, major streets, turnarounds or circles and buildings of Mysuru will be beautified by illuminating them with lights, fondly known as “Deepalankaara”.

Nearly 6,500 artists, including those from 508 troupes from across the State, will be performing in various cultural events during the Dasara this year at about 11 different platforms.

Also, dozens of events that attract people like- food mela, flower show, cultural programmes, farmers’ Dasara, women’s Dasara, Yuva Dasara, children’s Dasara, and poetry recital are also conducted.

However, cultural events in front of the illuminated Ambavilasa palace will be the main attraction, as it will be the main venue for performance by acclaimed artists from both state and national level. This is the very venue where the Chief Minister will confer the prestigious State Sangeetha Vidwan Award.

Other than these events, the famous Dasara procession (Jumboo Sawari), Torch Light Parade, and Mysuru Dasara Exhibition are the ones that attract a large number of people, turning the city into a carnival of sorts, during the ten day festivities.

However, there will be no air show this year, during Dasra, according to district administration.

The Navaratri include various decorations and celebrations in households across Mysuru and surrounding areas, namely Gombe habba (arrangement of traditional dolls), Saraswati Pooja, Ayudha Pooja and Durga Pooja, among others.

While at the palace too, the royal family will celebrate the festivities as per their traditions.

The Navaratri celebrations at the palace include several rituals, most remarkably Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of Mysuru royal family, dressed in grand attire, conducting Khasagi durbar (private durbar) by ascending the golden throne, amid chanting of vedic hymns.

‘Vajramushti Kalaga’, a special duel between ‘Jetties’ (wrestlers) armed with a ‘Vajramushti’ or a knuckle-duster, is also part of the celebrations at the palace.

World famous, ‘Jamboo Savaari”, a procession of caparisoned elephants carrying the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed in a golden Howdah on Vijayadashmi on the 10th day of the festival, marks the culmination of celebrations on October 12.

The procession will start from the Ambavilasa Palace premises, after the Nandi Flag Puja at the auspicious timing and offering floral showers to Chamundeshwari placed in a golden Howdah by the Chief Minister and other dignitaries on October 12. It will end at Banni mantapa, after covering a distance of roughly 6-km.

Tableaus of different districts and cultural teams from across the state will add splendour to the procession.

Elephants, which were brought from their camps, are prepared for the procession by making them walk along the streets of the city, so that they get used to the crowd, and are also put to firecrackers and cannon tests, to ensure that they don’t get disturbed by the sounds.

Elephant named ‘Abhimanyu’, who has been carrying the golden howdah since 2020, is likely to perform the duty this year too.

Dasara was celebrated by the rulers of the Vijayanagar empire and the tradition was inherited by the Wadiyars of Mysuru.

Festivities were first started in Mysuru by the Wadiyar King, Raja Wadiyar I in the year 1610.

It became a private affair of the royal family following the abolition of the privy purse in 1971 and the discontinuation of the privileges of the erstwhile rulers.

However, a low-key Dasara used to be held on the initiative of the local people until the state government stepped in and the then Chief Minister D Devaraja Urs revived the Dasara celebrations in 1975, which is being followed till date.

Police have made elaborate security for smooth Dasara this year, by deploying additional forces and installing additional CCTV cameras.