The famed Mysuru Dasara, featuring a diverse and vivid cultural extravaganza for ten days, begins on Thursday.
Mysuru Dasara is commemorated as ‘Nada Habba’ (State festival), with the State government spending from its exchequer for bringing performers of repute from across India to celebrate a glorious tradition. The festive fervour has embraced the City of Palaces that is all set to host the spectacle of grandeur.
With the tagline ‘One Festival, Many Celebrations; One Festival, Many Experiences’ the royal city is welcoming tourists for the festivities that will be formally started atop Chamundi Hills here at 8.45 a.m.
Writer and poet K.S. Nisar Ahmed will inaugurate the celebrations at the Goddess Chamundeshwari temple on the hilltop in the presence of many dignitaries, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Cultural and other events will begin thereafter.
The Wadiyars’ Dasara celebrations will also unfold at the palace from Thursday, with Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family, holding a ‘Khas Durbar’ that symbolises the bygone era, at the grand Durbar Hall inside the palace, and performing several other rituals linked to the festivities.
The city is all decked up to welcome tourists. Though road repairs and beautification works continue despite assurances about them being completing much ahead of Dasara, civic authorities here have promised to conclude all works by tomorrow.
The cynosure of all eyes – the iconic Mysuru palace – is ready to host the most-awaited cultural events at its illuminated backdrop. This year, the palace will be lit up from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., an hour longer.
The Chief Minister will inaugurate the cultural events and confer the Sangeeth Vidwan Award at the palace on Thursday at 6 pm.
Dasara exhibition, Yuva Dasara, Food Mela, Women’s and Children’s Dasara, Dasara sports, Dasara wrestling, Dasara film festival, Farmers’ Dasara, Yoga Dasara, and Poets’ Meet are among the events lined up for the season. Mushaira, Open Street Festival and 3D projection mapping are the new events. Palace on wheels and Trin Trin, the country’ first public bicycle sharing system, are other attractions for tourists.
After two years of low-key celebrations owing to drought, the festivities have got back their original grandeur. The tourism industry is hoping for a good season since the last two did not attract tourists as expected. The Cauvery row was another reason for the drop in tourist arrivals last year.
