The dispute over Mysuru’s Dasara golden howdah has intensified after Pramoda Devi Wadiyar said the ceremonial howdah and royal throne remain private property and that the Rs 80 lakh paid by the government was a longstanding honorarium, not rent.
Speaking at a press conference, Wadiyar said the golden howdah used during Jamboo Savari and the royal throne were not covered by the Mysore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, 1998. She said the government could commission its own howdah if it did not wish to use the Wadiyar family’s property.
“If the government gets one made, it will no longer have to seek ours, and there will be no problems,” she said, according to the Times of India report.
Her comments followed a statement by Mysuru district in-charge minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah that the government had paid the family Rs 80 lakh for use of the howdah during this year’s Jamboo Savari on October 21. Wadiyar said the amount was a royalty or honorarium linked to the government’s commercial use of the howdah through Nada Habba publicity material and ticket sales from the palace forecourts.
She also rejected the suggestion that the family’s continued occupation of a portion of Mysuru Palace amounted to a government favour. Wadiyar said the palace was not built by the government and that the state could not take over the family’s portion. She cited a High Court direction to maintain the status quo and said the family had been allowed to conduct religious ceremonies even in areas under government control.
According to Wadiyar, the Dasara process begins when the government writes to the family seeking the Ambari. The howdah is then handed over through the palace assistant commissioner of police, who is responsible for its safe return. She said the family had a right to know which elephant would carry it, although she acknowledged that no formal protocol had been established.
The issue has also raised questions about the handling of the ceremonial object during public events. Wadiyar referred to an incident during Jamboo Savari in Shivamogga this year in which an elephant ran amok and damaged the howdah. She said the episode underlined the need for due diligence in selecting the animal assigned to carry it.
Wadiyar further recalled the acquisition discussions of 1998, when Siddaramaiah was deputy chief minister. She said the government had offered Rs 1 crore and an acre of land if the family vacated the palace within six months, but Srikantadatta Wadiyar rejected the proposal. She said the amount was insufficient even to purchase a single pillar of the palace.
The wider dispute extends to Bengaluru Palace and its surrounding land. Wadiyar said those properties also remained with the family despite the Bengaluru Palace Acquisition and Transfer Act, 1996. An appeal concerning the matter is pending before the Supreme Court, with the family maintaining that the properties are private assets.
She also alleged that police barricades created difficulties during Ayudha Puja and that Jatti Kalaga could not be held during Vijayadashami after wrestlers were denied entry. She attributed the disruptions to poor coordination between government departments and referred to a four-page letter sent to the media.
Wadiyar welcomed Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s reported assurance that he was willing to resolve the issues. She said she was ready to hold discussions with the chief minister and ministers on the palace, the howdah and arrangements for future Dasara events.
