Curtain falls on grand Mysuru Dasara

Arjuna carries golden howdah with precision for the eighth time

October 09, 2019 01:06 am | Updated 10:39 am IST - MYSURU

 Karnataka Mysuru 08/10/2019  Folk artist during the Jamboo Savari Dasara Procession) in Mysuru on occasion of Dasara Celebrations . Photo M A Sriram

Karnataka Mysuru 08/10/2019 Folk artist during the Jamboo Savari Dasara Procession) in Mysuru on occasion of Dasara Celebrations . Photo M A Sriram

The ten-day cultural extravaganza of 409th edition of Mysuru Dasara came to a close here with the celebrated Jamboo Savari on Tuesday. The splendid Dasara finale was witnessed by a sea of humanity that thronged the Amba Vilas Palace and the streets leading to the final destination of the pageantry to watch the once-a-year proceedings.

The focal point of spectacle was the century-old palace from where the Vijayadashami procession took off and concluded at Bannimantap grounds, traversing a distance of about 4 km on the ‘Raja Marga’ that was dotted by tens of thousands of curious onlookers.

The grand procession got off to a start on a traditional note with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa performing the Nandi Dwaja puja at the palace’s Jayarama Gate at 2.05 p.m. Thereafter, the cultural display unfolded beginning with a majestic march by the Nishane elephants led by veteran Balarama and comprising Abhimanyu, Dhananjaya, Durgaparameshwari, Gopalaswamy, Gopi and Vikram.

This year, the procession had 80 participants with tableaux and cultural troupes drawn from across the State representing cultural diversity. The 39 tableaux could have had more diverse subjects like history, art and culture, places of importance and much more much more. Yet, some tableaux from the districts of Belagavi, Kodagu and Bagalkote, which were severely affected by floods this year, described the gravity of floods and landslips.

Bengaluru chose to bring the story of Chandrayaan-2 to the procession by sculpting the journey of the space mission in its tableau. There were a couple of tableaux on female foeticide and a few illustrating architectural wonders like the stone monuments in Hampi. The Tourism Department featured its tableau on adventure sports covering places in Ballari and Davangere modelled its tableau on the recent air strikes by India on enemy camps. The tableau designers put in a lot of effort to improve the quality.

Festive hues:  (clockwise from right) Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa offering prayers to Goddess Chamundeshwari to mark the beginning of the Dasara procession; and folk artistes performing in Mysuru on Tuesday.

Festive hues: (clockwise from right) Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa offering prayers to Goddess Chamundeshwari to mark the beginning of the Dasara procession; and folk artistes performing in Mysuru on Tuesday.

Among the cultural troupes that stood out was a stilt-walking pair that enacted ‘Mahishasura Mardini’. Beesu Kamsale, Keelukudure, Suggi Kunita, Puja Kunita, Garudi Gombe, Hagalu Vesha, Jaggale Mela, Tamate Nagaari, Karadi Majalu, Gombe Kunita, Dollu Kunita, Somana Kunita were some others.

The Jamboo Savari reached its pinnacle when Arjuna, the 59-year-old tusker, entered the procession imperially carrying the 750 kg golden howdah with the ‘utsav murthi’ of Goddess Chamundeshwari, flanked by Kaveri and Vijaya, to thunderous applause. The CM flagged off the procession by showering flower petals on the idol from an elevated rostrum in front of the palace. This was followed by a 21-canon salute that echoed the palace vicinity even as Arjuna raised his trunk as a mark of respect.

Surrounded by a strong police force, Arjuna, carrying the howdah for the eighth time in a row, and his companions exited the Jayarama Gate of the palace, marching royally on the streets to reach Bannimantap.

The police had deployed tight security with over 6,000 policemen on duty.

The city centre was under tight camera surveillance and police drones were seen flying along the procession route keeping a watch on the proceedings.

Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of Mysuru Royal family, Minister in charge of Mysuru district V. Somanna and Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath were with the CM, showering petals on the idol. The procession lasted for over three hours.

 Karnataka Mysuru 08/10/2019  Folk artists during during the Jamboo Savari Dasara Procession) in Mysuru on occasion of Dasara Celebrations . Photo M A Sriram

Karnataka Mysuru 08/10/2019 Folk artists during during the Jamboo Savari Dasara Procession) in Mysuru on occasion of Dasara Celebrations . Photo M A Sriram

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