Celebrated as ‘Nada Habba’ (state festival), the festivities began with senior political leader and former Chief Minister SM Krishna and Chief Minister B Basavaraj Bommai, along with other dignitaries showering flowers on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari. Mysore Royals atop Chamundi Hill.
Krishna, who had also served as the Union Minister of External Affairs and Governor of Maharashtra, was chosen by the government to inaugurate the Dussehra festival.
The inauguration was attended by Mysuru in-charge and Cooperation Minister ST Somashekar, Revenue Minister R Ashok, Kannada and Culture Minister V Sunil Kumar, Religious Endowment, Waqf and Haj Minister Sasikala Jole and Mysore MP Pratap Simha.
With the Covid-19 pandemic coming under the shadow, the government had decided to hold the 412th Dussehra festival in a “simple” manner, overall restricting it to uphold the traditions.
The 10-day event which showcases the cultural heritage of Karnataka with folk art forms every year and attracts large crowds and tourists, has been cut short for the second consecutive year due to the COVID-19. The Mysore administration has banned people in most programs and made arrangements for live broadcasts.
The state government has issued guidelines for celebrating Dussehra festival in Mysore, limiting the number of participants to 500 in major Dussehra events, such as cultural programs in front of Amba Vilas Palace, the famous Dussehra procession (jumbo ride) and torch light parade.
On Vijayadashmi or the 10th day of the festival, which marks the culmination of the celebrations on October 15, a ‘jumbo ride’ procession of elephants carrying the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari in Swarna Howrah has been confined to the Amba Vilas Palace complex.
Also, cultural events, which were otherwise held at more than a dozen places, have been confined to the palace complex.
The palace, major streets, turnarounds or circles and buildings of Mysore will be illuminated with lights in the evening during the 10-day long festival. In the palace also the royal family will celebrate according to tradition. Navratri celebrations at the palace include a number of rituals, the most notable being Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, a descendant of the Mysore royal family, dressed in lavish attire, ascending the golden throne and holding a Khasgi Darbar (private court), among Vedic hymns.
Dussehra was celebrated by the rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire and the tradition was inherited by the Wadiars.
The festival was first started in Mysore in the year 1610 by the Wadiyar king, Raja Wadiyar I.
After the abolition of the privy purse and the privileges of the erstwhile rulers in 1971, it became a private affair of the royal family.
However, a less important Dussehra was held at the initiative of the local people until the state government stepped in and the then Chief Minister D Devaraj Urs revived the Dussehra celebrations in 1975, which is being followed till date.
Terming it as his “good fortune” in the service of “Nada Devta” (state deity) Chamundeshwari, Chief Minister Bommai said the world-famous festival has lost its sheen for two years due to Covid and hoped to celebrate with grandeur. is of. And from next year onwards religious fervor with the blessings of the goddess.
He said, “I have prayed to the goddess to take away the people of the state from all difficulties and the Covid pandemic.”
SM Krishna in his speech described the youth as the asset of the nation and stressed on the need to give them the right direction by setting right kind of ambitions.
Recalling his long association with Mysore, he recalled the royals’ contributions to Mysore, including pledging their ornaments for the construction of the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam on the Kaveri River, which helped progress the farmers of the region.
He advised the state government to think of the Mysore Dussehra package for tourism by next year, which aims to cover all the major destinations in the state, as he pointed out that Singapore is an example of how a place can be treated with cleanliness and proper planning. can progress together.
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