The golden throne, which is the cynosure of all eyes during Dasara, was brought out of the strongroom and assembled at Durbar Hall at Mysuru palace on Tuesday.
The golden throne is kept for public viewing only during Dasara, which will be celebrated from September 29 to October 8. It is used during the Khas (private) Durbar of members of the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru.
The throne was assembled under the supervision of senior priests, who performed various rituals as per the palace traditions. People from Gejjagalli village on the outskirts of Mysuru were entrusted with the task, and it was completed by noon. Security was tightened and the palace was out of bounds for tourists till that time.
The throne includes an umbrella, a couch, steps leading to the seat, and a number of precious stones. It is usually dismantled after the festival and returned to the strong room, where it is guarded 24x7. Though the throne is a slice of priceless heritage, its origin is shrouded in mystery and there are two major conjectures about it. While one belief is that it was a gift from Mughal emperor Aurangzeb to Chikkadevaraja Wadiyar, the other theory ascribes a more ancient origin to it — that it belonged to the Pandavas of Mahabharata and was passed on to the Wadiyars.
