Grand Dasara festivities begins in Mysuru with religious and traditional fervour

Mysuru: The famous 10-day Dasara celebrations commenced in this city palace on Thursday amid religious and traditional fervour, with renowned writer and scholar Hampa Nagarajaiah inaugurating the festivities.

Celebrated as 'Nada Habba' (state festival), the Dasara or 'Sharan Navaratri' festivities are expected to be a grand affair this year, depicting Karnataka's rich culture and traditions, coupled with reminiscences of royal pomp and glory.

Nagarajaiah inaugurated the festivities during the auspicious "Vrushchika Lagna" by showering flowers on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru and its royals, amid chanting of vedic hymns, on the premises of Chamundeshwari temple atop the Chamundi Hills here.

Nagarajaiah was accompanied by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, several ministers in the state cabinet among others.

Nagarajaiah along with the CM and other dignitaries also visited the Chamundeshwari temple and offered prayers to the goddess, who is referred to as the "Naada Devate" (state deity), ahead of the inaugural.

The 10-day 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.

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 recitals 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 performances 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.

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

The Navaratri includes 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 the 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.

An 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.