CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar offer floral tributes to the idol of Sri Chamundeshwari Devi.
Credit: Information Department
Mysuru: People braved the rains to watch the ‘grand’ finale of the Mysuru Dasara, the Jamboo Savari procession, on the 10th day of the festival here in the city on Saturday.
The rains started around 2.30 pm, a few minutes after the launch of the procession, and subsided around 3 pm.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who prayed for the welfare and prosperity of Karnataka and its people, offered puja to Nandi Dwaja, during the auspicious Makara lagna at the Balarama Gate of the Northern end of Mysuru Palace. This heralded the start of the Jamboo Savari.
Around 5 pm, almost half an hour beyond schedule, the CM accompanied by his Deputy D K Shivakumar, Mysuru district in-charge and Minister H C Mahadevappa, offered floral tributes to the idol of Sri Chamundeshwari Devi, placed in the golden howdah, carried by elephant Abhimanyu.
As per tradition, a 21-shot cannon salute was given. Abhimanyu, who has been taking part in the Dasara procession since the past 24 years, carried the 750-kg golden howdah, accompanied by female elephants Lakshmi and Hiranya, as kumkis. It is his fifth Jamboo Savari, as howdah elephant. Over a hundred men, in traditional Mysuru durbar attire accompanied the howdah elephant.
Mysuru Dasara, described as Nada Habba, was witnessed by lakhs of people on the premises of Mysuru Palace and on both sides of the five-km long Raja Marga – from Palace to Bannimantapa. The celebration was inaugurated by scholar and writer Hampa Nagarajaiah, atop the Chamundi Hill, in the presence of the CM and other dignitaries on October 3.
Since 2020, due to the pandemic and then drought situation, Dasara celebrations were declared as either ‘traditional’ or ‘meaningful’ celebration. This year, as the rainfall has been good and all dams are filled, the Karnataka government declared to host a ‘grand’ Dasara.
The Jamboo Savari was lead by Dhananjaya as Nishane elephant and Gopi as Naufat elephant. It included 51 tableaux and 81 cultural troupes. This year’s theme was democracy and Constitution.
Seating arrangements were made for 40,000 people on the Palace premises, while the Mysuru City Corporation had made arrangements of 7.500 people. Lakhs of people witnessed the procession on the 5-km long Raja Marga.
People started converging on the Mysuru Palace and the Raja Marga from all directions since morning. All enclosures were fully occupied by people by 1 pm to ensure that they get a good view of the procession.
Meanwhile, YKC Wadiyar took out a 'Vijaya Yatre' to mark Vijayadashami in Mysuru Palace after 'Vajramushti Kalaga' (fight of jattis).
On Friday, the palace welcomed a baby boy, a second son born to YKC Wadiyar and his wife Trishika Kumari Devi.
Torchlight parade was also held at Bannimantap grounds in the evening. Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot received the guard of honour.