Mysuru Dasara heritage programming will expand this year with a Navadurga doll exhibition, guided heritage walks, a heritage cycling event and competitions designed to bring visitors closer to the city’s historic buildings and traditions.
The Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage has decided to display dolls depicting the nine forms of Navadurga in the department premises at the Dasara exhibition grounds near Dodda Kere Maidan. The exhibition is scheduled to run from October 11 to 21, according to department deputy director (Heritage) C.N. Manjula.
The display will be arranged across five rows in the veranda of the heritage department premises. It will draw on the traditional practice of arranging dolls during Navaratri, a custom that uses staged figures to narrate religious, mythological and historical stories. The selected figures will represent Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri.
The department said the arrangement will reflect the tradition of placing dolls on an odd number of steps. In the narrative associated with the display, the gods, goddesses and other living beings give their powers to Chamundeshwari in her battle against Mahishasura. The dolls and their arrangement are intended to represent this cultural and mythological background for visitors attending Dasara.
Alongside the exhibition, the department plans to organise heritage bicycle rides and heritage walks covering Mysuru’s historic locations, heritage sites and old buildings. History experts will provide participants with information about the sites during these programmes. The department also plans a tonga ride for couples wearing traditional clothing such as the Mysuru turban and Mysuru silk garments.
The programme includes an initiative to recognise households that continue the practice of displaying dolls during Navaratri. The department plans to visit 10 to 15 homes between October 11 and 14 and award prizes of ₹5,000, ₹3,000 and ₹2,000 to the top three displays. Applications will be invited, and the department will seek guidance from people familiar with the tradition before conducting the visits, Manjula said.
A ‘Selfie with Heritage Building’ photography competition is also being planned to attract young people, including members of Generation Z, to Mysuru’s built heritage. Participants will be invited to submit photographs featuring heritage buildings, with prizes of ₹5,000, ₹3,000 and ₹2,000 for the top three entries. The department said it would seek assistance from people with knowledge of heritage and photography to select the winning images.
The initiatives position Mysuru’s historic buildings and cultural practices as active public-facing parts of the Dasara programme rather than as static attractions. The department is expected to announce application details and the schedule for the heritage activities and competitions before the events begin.
