Mysuru will expand its Dasara illumination this year to 146 km of roads and 123 traffic circles, with more than 80 LED-lit replicas and 51 illuminated arches planned across the city. The lighting will be switched on officially on October 11, the opening day of the Dasara celebrations, and will remain in place through October 21.
The decision has been taken by the Dasara Illumination Committee to increase the scale of one of the festival’s major public attractions. According to the information provided by the committee, the lighting will begin each evening after dark and cover important roads, junctions, heritage areas and selected highways on the outskirts of Mysuru.
The planned locations include roads around the Amba Vilas Palace, New Sayyaji Rao Road, Irwin Road, Albert Victor Road, JLB Road, Chamaraja Double Road, Vinoba Road, the road near the Zilla Panchayat office, the road outside the city police commissioner’s office and Devaraja Urs Road. Several major public spaces and junctions, including Dodda Kere Maidan, KR Circle, Chamaraja Circle, Jayachamaraja Circle, Ramaswamy Circle, the railway station area, Gun House Circle and LIC Circle, will also receive illuminated installations.
This year’s plan represents an increase from the previous edition, when 136 km of roads and 118 circles were covered. Around 80 replicas were installed at prominent locations last year. The new installations will use LED bulbs to depict Mysuru’s maharajas, notable personalities who contributed to the state and the country, and selected government programmes, including the ‘Panch Guarantee’ schemes.
Workers have already begun preparations, and trial tests are being conducted at several locations. Sunilkumar, superintendent engineer at the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation, told Prajavani that the arrangements were intended to provide a greater visual display than last year. He said the official launch would take place on the evening of October 11.
The expanded lighting plan will operate alongside the festival’s other large-scale public events. The report also states that the drone show at the Bannimantap Panjina Kavayathu Maidan will be increased to 3,500 drones. The previous show used 3,000 drones across September 28, September 29, October 1 and October 2, while 1,500 drones were used in 2024. Thousands of people attended the earlier displays, which also featured performances by well-known playback singers.
Last year, the illumination continued for several days beyond the scheduled 21-day period following public demand. The current announcement sets October 11 to October 21 as the planned period for this year’s lighting. Further operational details, including the exact schedule for the drone displays and any extension beyond the festival period, were not provided in the report.
