Dussehra doll celebration too under COVID-19 shadow

Doddaballapura: The ‘Dussehra Darbar,’ i.e., the Dussehra dolls festival celebrated along with the festivities of the Mysuru Dussehra in several houses here has also been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every year on eve of the festive day, people would visit the houses where these dolls would have been set up. But this year the celebrations have been reduced and the dolls are symbolically assembled.

During the nine days of the Navratri festival, the dolls have a ‘Kalasha’ offering and daily poojas. Additionally, the ceremony of inviting guests and offering ‘Bagina’ to them also accompanies the festival.

Most of the decorated dolls are themed after Kailasha Shivardhana, Tirupati Brahmotsava, Sri Krishna Parijatha, Dashavatara, Tirupati, Garudotsava, Marriage procession, The awakening of Kumbhakarna, Dussehra procession, Mysuru Palace, Rural scapes, Gardens, Zoos, Forests, Kailash mountain, Palaces, Temples and other special dolls.

The houses of TS Umadevi Mahadevya, Prabhati Dayashankar, Srinivasa Raghavan, Nataraj, Manjula Manjunath, Ravishankar, Manjanna, Lakshmi Srinivasayya, Pushpa Shivashankar, Kanitahalli Devaraj are noted for their exquisite doll decorations.

As more children come to see Dussehra dolls, there is a risk of infection. Hence, the dolls and other related rituals and programs are being done on a low scale, said Varalakshmi Devaraj and Lakshmi Srinivasayya here.