Mysuru’s Heritage Department will host a Navadurga doll exhibition and a series of public programmes around the city’s historic sites during Dasara, including heritage bicycle rides, guided walks, a traditional tonga ride and a photography contest focused on heritage buildings.
The Navadurga dolls will be displayed for the first time at the premises of the Archaeology Museums and Heritage Department in the Dasara exhibition grounds at Dodda Kere Maidan. The exhibition is planned from October 11 to 21 and will feature five-tiered arrangements representing the nine forms of Durga.
The dolls will depict Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri. The department said the display draws from the traditional practice of arranging dolls during Navaratri, a custom that uses mythological and historical narratives to communicate cultural memory.
C.N. Manjula, Deputy Director of the Heritage Department, told Prajavani that the department had decided to present the Navadurga arrangement as part of its effort to showcase the tradition during the Dasara festival. The display is intended to give visitors access to a practice that is commonly associated with homes but will be presented in a public institutional setting for the first time, according to the report.
The department also plans heritage bicycle rides and heritage walks covering Mysuru’s historic places, heritage sites and traditional buildings. History experts will provide participants with information about the locations during these programmes. The department has additionally decided to organise a tonga ride for couples wearing traditional clothing such as the Mysuru turban and Mysuru silk garments.
As part of the programme, officials will visit between 10 and 15 homes that continue the traditional practice of arranging dolls. Applications will be invited, and selected homes will be assessed between October 11 and 14. The first three prizes will be ₹5,000, ₹3,000 and ₹2,000. The department said it would seek guidance from people familiar with the tradition while carrying out the selection.
A separate ‘Selfie with Heritage Building’ photography contest is being planned to attract young people and members of Generation Z. Applications will be invited for the contest, which will select three photographs that represent Mysuru’s heritage. The prizes will be ₹5,000, ₹3,000 and ₹2,000, respectively. The department said it would seek assistance from people with knowledge of heritage and photography while conducting the contest.
The programmes place Mysuru’s heritage buildings, historic sites and living traditions within the wider public activity of Dasara. The department’s announced next steps are to invite applications for the home-based doll display and photography contest and conduct the home visits from October 11 to 14, while the Navadurga exhibition is scheduled to remain open from October 11 to 21.
