Mysuru’s Dasara Jamboo Savari drew lakhs of residents and visitors on Wednesday, with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar flagging off the Vijayadashami procession and several new features expanding its cultural and public spectacle.
Shivakumar offered prayers to the Nandi flag at the Balarama Gate of the Mysuru Palace at about 1.36 pm before entering the palace premises in an open vehicle with ministers. The procession then moved along the designated Rajamarga route, featuring 50 folk performance groups and 53 tableaux showcasing Karnataka’s cultural heritage, artistic traditions and government achievements.
A key first was the participation of Kannada film actors and technicians in an open bus designed as an ambari. The participants waved to and greeted people gathered along the route. Former cricketer Anil Kumble and other prominent figures from the sports sector also took part in the event.
The golden ambari was carried for the first time by Prashantha, an experienced elephant that has participated in Dasara for 18 years. Prashantha carried the 750-kilogram golden ambari containing the idol of Chamundeshwari. The chief minister offered flowers to the idol at about 4.30 pm, formally inaugurating the Jamboo Savari.
Abhimanyu, which had carried the ambari six times, participated this year as the Nishana elephant. The chief minister also offered flowers to Abhimanyu as a mark of honour. Prashantha was accompanied by Kaveri as the Kumki elephant, while Roopa later joined the procession in the same role. Gopi participated as the Naupata elephant, with Mahendra, Srirama, Srikantha, Chaitra, Lakshmi, Sugriva and Ekalavya forming part of the Salane group.
The ceremony included a 21-gun salute and the national anthem played by the police band. The procession moved through streets lined with thousands of spectators who had waited since morning to watch the elephants and the Chamundeshwari idol. Prashantha reached Bannimantap, about five kilometres from the palace, in two hours.
For the first time, chief ministers from other states were present at the platform where the Vijayadashami procession was launched. Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy offered flowers to Chamundeshwari. The event was also attended by Karnataka ministers, Mysuru’s royal family member and MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy and City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar.
The procession included cultural groups and tableaux from outside Karnataka for the first time. Kerala’s Pootan and Thira performance group was accompanied by a boat-shaped tableau, while Tamil Nadu presented a Karagattam group and a tableau themed around the state’s heritage and traditions. Tibetan participants were given space for both a cultural group and a tableau.
A naval tableau, along with bands from the armed forces, was another feature of the procession. Thirty-three ambassadors and representatives from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Israel watched the event from specially arranged seating.
The procession ended at Bannimantap, where thousands watched a torchlight parade and drone show attended by Governor Sudha Yadav, the chief minister and members of the state Cabinet.
