Mysuru Dasara: Shivakumar flags off Jamboo Savari
Mysuru: Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday evening accorded floral tributes to the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed in the 750-kg golden howdah at the Mysuru Palace, marking the commencement of the historic 417th Jamboo Savari procession as part of the Mysuru Dasara celebrations.
The ritual was performed at the auspicious Shubha Meena Lagna on the palace premises, marking the commencement of the grand procession. Thousands of people gathered at the Mysuru Palace, where they had been waiting since morning for the moment, cheered and raised slogans in praise of Goddess Chamundeshwari.
Shivakumar’s wife, Usha Shivakumar, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, Minister for Urban Development and Mysuru district in-charge Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Tangadgi, Mysuru Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Mysuru royal scion and BJP MP Yaduveer Wadiyar, and Deputy Commissioner Lakshmikantha Reddy were among those present on the occasion.
The idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari was adorned in a green saree for the procession, one of the major attractions of the Mysuru Dasara celebrations.
This year, the golden howdah was placed on elephant Captain Prashanth, who has participated in the Jamboo Savari procession 16 times. However, this is the first time he has led the procession carrying the golden howdah bearing the idol of the presiding deity.
Twelve well-trained elephants are participating in this year’s Jamboo Savari. Captain Prashanth is being flanked on either side by the kumki elephants Roopa and Cauvery.
The Jamboo Savari, the grand finale of the Mysuru Dasara festivities, draws lakhs of people to the cultural capital of Karnataka every year.
Jamboo Savari is the grand finale procession of Mysuru Dasara, Karnataka’s 10-day state festival on Vijayadashami. It features the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed inside a 750 kg golden howdah carried by a caparisoned elephant from the Mysore Palace to Bannimantap.
Decorated elephants, police bands, military cavalry, folk dancers, and colourful government tableaux will lead the procession. The parade concludes at Bannimantap with a traditional Torchlight Parade.
The Vijayadashami procession got underway in the city of palaces on Wednesday morning, marking the grand finale of the 11-day Mysuru Dussehra festivities. Celebrated as ‘Nada Habba’ (state festival), the Dussehra, or ‘Sharan Navaratri’, festivities were a grand affair this year, showcasing Karnataka’s rich culture and traditions, reminiscent of royal pomp and glory.