Dasara celebrations — a slice of cultural legacy inherited from the Vijayanagara rulers and passed on to the Wadiyars of Mysuru — will begin from Tuesday. This year, it will be in the shadow of drought and a spate of farmer suicides.
A cultural carnival, which is celebrated as ‘Nada Habba’ across the State and known for its pomp and grandeur, will be a low-key affair to commiserate with the farmers reeling under agrarian crisis. As a gesture of reaching out to the cultivators, a progressive farmer, Puttappa, will inaugurate the festival at Chamundi Hills with a traditional puja between 11.05 a.m. and 11.55 a.m.
The origins of the Dasara are rooted in mythology and lost in the mist of time, while historically it is associated with the Navaratri celebrations of the rulers of Vijayanagara, who ruled from 14th century A.D. to 17th century A.D. The grandeur of the celebrations have been well-documented by medieval travellers like Domingo Paes and Fernando Nunez of Portugal and Abdur Razzak of Persia, who travelled the region in 16th century A.D. They have describe it as the “great feast” held for nine days complete with music, dance, elephants and horses — all of which finds an echo in the present times.
Raja Wadiyar, who ascended the throne at Srirangapatna in 1610 A.D., decreed that the festival be celebrated in a grand manner. Since then, Mysuru has become synonymous with Dasara and the grandeur reached its zenith during the regime of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (1902-1940) and has been depicted in the paintings at the Amba Vilas Palace.
While the private Dasara of the Wadiyars involve rituals with religious underpinnings adding an element of novelty to the event, the State-sponsored festival is devoid of religious paraphernalia and is a fulcrum to promote tourism involving public participation.
Showcasing the State’s cultural diversity, the grand finale of Dasara is marked by the Vijayadashami procession to be held on October 23 this year with the Jamboo Savari, in which the caparisoned elephant carries the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari to bring the curtains down on a festival that is now part of the State’s intangible cultural heritage.
