Mysuru Dasara 2026 begins on October 11 with the ceremonial inauguration at Chamundi Hill, launching an 11-day festival that will combine religious observances, cultural programmes and the city’s headline Vijayadashami procession. The festival is being held on a grand scale despite severe drought conditions, while Mysuru has been decorated with illuminated roads, circles and public spaces to welcome visitors.
Abhinava Gavisiddheshwara Swamiji of the Koppal Gavimath, who will inaugurate the festival, arrived in Mysuru on Saturday. Additional Deputy Commissioner R. Aishwarya welcomed him on behalf of the district administration. The seer later visited Suttur Mutt in Nanjangud taluk, where he was received with a Poornakumbha procession.
The formal inauguration is scheduled at Chamundi Hill between 11.50 am and 12.13 pm on Sunday, with the first worship of Chamundeshwari. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and elected representatives are expected to attend the ceremony. The choice of a seer to inaugurate the festival marks a return to a practice last seen in 2012. The government has invited more than 200 religious leaders to the celebrations.
The opening day will also see the launch of 11 programmes at different venues across Mysuru. The Chief Minister is scheduled to inaugurate cultural programmes at 7 pm at the Ambavilas Palace and other locations. These events will form the public-facing programme of the festival, alongside the religious ceremonies at Chamundi Hill and the traditional observances connected with the royal palace.
The illuminated roads and major junctions are central to the city’s festival presentation this year. Mysuru has been decorated to attract tourists, with the district administration preparing the city for increased visitor activity during the celebrations. The arrangements also place public roads, event venues and prominent urban landmarks at the centre of the festival experience.
At the palace, the royal family will begin its Sharannavaratri observances on Sunday. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar will conduct the 12th edition of the private durbar, a separate palace tradition that runs alongside the public Dasara programme.
The festival’s main public spectacle, the Vijayadashami procession, or Jamboo Savari, is scheduled for October 21. It will begin with Nandidhwaja puja at the Balarama Gate of the Ambavilas Palace between 1.36 pm and 1.56 pm. The Chief Minister is scheduled to formally flag off the procession inside the palace premises between 4.10 pm and 4.35 pm. The festival will conclude at Bannimantap with the torchlight parade in the evening.
