Mysuru, 21 October

The Vijayadashami procession got underway in the city of palaces on Wednesday, marking the grand finale of the 11-day Mysuru Dussehra festivities.

Celebrated as ‘Nada Habba’ (state festival), the Dussehra, or ‘Sharan Navaratri’, festivities were a grand affair this year, showcasing Karnataka’s rich culture and traditions, reminiscent of royal pomp and glory.

Thousands are expected to witness the ‘Jamboo Savari’ later in the evening, in which a dozen caparisoned elephants, led by ‘Prashantha’, will march in procession.

Prashantha will carry the idol of Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru and its royals, on a 750-kg ‘Ambari’ (howdah) covered with gold.

Keralam and Telangana Chief Ministers V D Satheesan and A Revanth Reddy will participate in the celebrations this year at the invitation of their Karnataka counterpart D K Shivakumar, official sources said.

Ambassadors, consuls general and high commissioners of various countries are among the foreign dignitaries taking part, they said.

At the palace, in keeping with tradition, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family, took out the ‘Vijaya Yatra’ from Amba Vilas Palace to the Bhuvaneshwari Devi temple within the premises. He performed a special pooja to the ‘Shami’ tree there.

The procession began with Shivakumar, along with a host of ministers and dignitaries, offering pooja to the ‘Nandi Dhwaja’ (Nandi flag) at the Balarama gate of the Amba Vilas Palace between 1.36 pm and 1.56 pm, during the auspicious ‘Makara Lagna’. Shivakumar then greeted the people of the state on the occasion of Vijayadashami.

A large number of people lined up along the route hours before the procession started.

Cultural troupes and tableaux from various districts, depicting regional culture and heritage, will cover a distance of about five km before culminating at ‘Bannimantapa’.

Tableaux from various government departments, schemes and programmes, and those carrying social messages, are part of the procession.

Tableaux representing the three wings of the Defence Forces will showcase their valour, service and spirit. A contingent of Kannada film personalities is also taking part.

The CM, along with other dignitaries including Wadiyar, will flag off the ‘Jamboo Savari’ by showering flowers on the idol of Chamundeshwari in the howdah during the auspicious ‘Meena Lagna’, between 4.10 pm and 4.35 pm. Twenty-one shots will be fired from cannons as Prashantha, flanked by ‘Kumki’ elephants, arrives at the specially erected dais for the dignitaries to offer flowers.

The procession is held on Vijayadashami, which signifies the victory of good over evil.

In the days of yore, the king would sit in the howdah accompanied by his brother and nephew. Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar was the last ruling king of Mysuru to ride in it. The tradition continues, but now the idol of Chamundeshwari is taken in procession in the howdah instead of a king. The core of the 750-kg howdah is said to be wood, covered with 80 kg of gold.