The Mysuru Dasara procession drew lakhs of residents and visitors on Wednesday, with elephant Prashantha carrying the 750-kg golden howdah for the first time and the five-kilometre route featuring 50 folk-art groups, 53 tableaux and participants from other states.
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar began the Vijayadashami procession by offering prayers to the Nandi flag at the Balarama Gate of Mysuru Palace at about 1.36 pm. He then entered the palace premises in an open vehicle with ministers as crowds gathered along the route welcomed the procession.
The ceremonial start of the main procession took place at about 4.30 pm, when Shivakumar offered flowers to the idol of Chamundeshwari placed in the golden howdah carried by Prashantha. District in-charge minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj V. Thangadagi, Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, royal family member and MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy and City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar were among those who also offered flowers.
The ceremony was accompanied by 21 rounds of ceremonial cannon fire and the national anthem played by the police band. Prashantha was joined by Kaveri as a kumki elephant, while Rupa later joined the procession in the same role. Abhimanyu, which had carried the howdah six times, participated this year as the nishana elephant. Gopi served as the naubat elephant, while Mahendra, Srirama, Srikanta, Chaitra, Lakshmi, Sugreeva and Ekalavya took part as salane elephants.
Prashantha has participated in Dasara celebrations for 18 years. This was the first time the experienced elephant carried the golden howdah, a change that made it the central feature of this year’s elephant procession. The elephant reached Bannimantap in about two hours, according to the report, as thousands of people waited along both sides of the road to watch the procession and the Chamundeshwari idol.
This year’s procession also included several reported firsts. Kannada film actors and technicians travelled in an open bus styled as an ambari, waving to spectators along the route. Sportspersons, including cricketer Anil Kumble, also participated. Chief ministers from outside Karnataka were allowed to take part in the flower-offering ceremony for the first time, while Kerala and Telangana were represented by cultural groups and tableaux.
The Kerala group presented the Pootan and Thira traditions alongside a boat-shaped tableau. A Karagattam group and a tableau themed around Tamil Nadu’s heritage also took part. Tibetan participants were included through both a cultural group and a tableau. A Naval tableau, along with police and army bands, added to the procession’s institutional and cultural representation.
The event was watched by 33 ambassadors and representatives from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Israel, who were provided separate seating arrangements. After the procession reached Bannimantap, the celebrations concluded with a torchlight parade and a drone show attended by Governor Sudha Yadav, the chief minister and members of the state Cabinet.
