People brave rains to watch grand Mysuru Dasara Jamboo Savari

People braved the rains with their umbrellas open, to watch the grand finale, the Mysuru Dasara Jamboo Savari procession, of the 10-day Dasara festival on Saturday.

The rains started around 2:30 pm, a few minutes after the launch of the procession, and subsided around 3 pm. The sun shone again, around 3.15 pm. Later, the climate was pleasant.

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 Balarama Gate, at 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, and Mysuru district in-charge Minister H C Mahadevappa, offered floral tributes to the idol of Sri Chamundeshwari Devi, placed in the golden howdah, carried by elephant Abhimanyu.

21-shot cannon salute

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.

Grand after Covid-19

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, while 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.

Rituals held

Meanwhile, member of the erstwhile royal family Yaduveer Krishnaraja Chamaraja Wadiyar took out a ‘Vijaya Yatre’ to mark Vijayadashami in Mysuru Palace, after ‘Vajramushti Kalaga’ (fight of jattis). On Friday, a second son was born to him, from his wife Trishika Kumari Devi.

Torchlight parade was held at Bannimantap grounds in the evening. Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot received the guard of honour.

Lakhs of people witness the Jamboo Savari procession in Mysuru on Saturday.