Mysuru Dasara will begin on Sunday with an 11-day programme celebrating Karnataka’s heritage, religious traditions, culture and performing arts, as the city completes its preparations for the festival despite severe drought conditions. Major roads and traffic circles have been decorated with illuminated installations, giving the city a festive appearance and attracting visitors.
Abhinava Gavisiddheshwara Swamiji of the Gavimath in Koppal reached Mysuru on Saturday to inaugurate the festival. Additional Deputy Commissioner R. Aishwarya welcomed him on behalf of the district administration. The seer later visited Suttur Mutt in Nanjangud taluk, where he was received in a Poorna Kumbha procession.
The formal inauguration will take place at Chamundi Hill between 11.50 am and 12.13 pm on Sunday, October 11, with the Chamundeshwari Agra Pooja. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and elected representatives are scheduled to attend. The selection of a pontiff to inaugurate the festival comes after a gap since 2012. The government has invited more than 200 religious leaders to the celebrations.
Eleven programmes are scheduled to begin on the first day. Cultural events will be held at several venues, including the Ambavilas Palace premises. The Chief Minister is scheduled to inaugurate the cultural programmes at 7 pm. The arrangements cover a range of public venues across Mysuru, adding to the city’s activity during the festival period.
The Mysuru royal family will observe Sharannavaratri at the palace from Sunday. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar will conduct the 12th edition of the private durbar. The private ceremony will take place separately from the public festival programme and forms part of the palace’s traditional observances during Dasara.
The Vijayadashami procession, popularly known as Jamboo Savari, is scheduled for October 21. The procession will begin with Nandidhwaja Pooja at the Balarama Gate of Ambavilas Palace between 1.36 pm and 1.56 pm. The Chief Minister is scheduled to formally flag off the procession inside the palace premises between 4.10 pm and 4.35 pm.
The festival will conclude at Bannimantap with the Panjina Kavayathu display in the evening. The announced schedule places the district administration, state government, palace and religious institutions at the centre of the festival’s organisation, while the city’s decorated roads, public venues and cultural stages will host the wider celebrations.
