Mysuru Dasara palace access will be tightened this year through pass-based entry, numbered seating for gold pass and ticket holders, CCTV surveillance and controlled enclosures, as the district administration prepares to accommodate around 48,000 visitors inside the Palace premises during the procession.
The measures follow Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s announcement that seating inside Mysuru Palace would be numbered and reserved for authorised pass and ticket holders. The announcement had raised questions about whether all 48,000 seats being arranged within the Palace premises would carry individual numbers.
Deputy Commissioner Lakshmikanth G Reddy clarified that individual numbering would not cover the entire capacity. Chairs allocated to gold pass and ticket holders will be numbered, with the relevant seat number printed on each ticket. The remaining seating is expected to be arranged in gallery-style areas, where individual seat numbers are not planned.
The administration’s access plan is intended to address complaints from genuine ticket and passholders who, in previous years, alleged that unauthorised entrants were able to enter seating areas. Such entries were reported to have contributed to crowding, confusion and inconvenience for people holding valid passes.
Entry restrictions will begin at the Palace gates, with officials planning pass-based access, controlled enclosures and tighter verification of visitors before they reach the designated seating areas. CCTV surveillance and public address systems are also being planned to monitor movement, provide instructions and guide visitors across the Palace premises.
Gold passes, which provide premium access to the procession viewing areas, have seen strong demand this year. Around 3,000 gold passes priced at Rs 6,500 each were sold out quickly, according to the district administration. The deputy commissioner said every gold pass had been numbered and that buyers would have to occupy the seat specified on the ticket before the scheduled time.
The administration’s stated focus is to conduct the procession in a systematic and organised manner while ensuring that access to numbered seating remains limited to authorised ticket and passholders. Further entry and crowd-control arrangements will be implemented at the Palace gates and seating enclosures during the event.
