Mysuru: Decked like a bride with its streets and circles illuminated, Mysuru will once again be immersed in song, music and dance besides a whole host of activities for a good 10 days as its famed Dasara festival kicks off Thursday.
While noted poet and litterateur, Prof K S Nissar Ahmed, will inaugurate the festival atop the Chamundi hills by offering pooja to the idol of goddess Chamundeswari at 8.45 am in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and several of his ministers, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, will ascend the golden throne in his palace and hold a "private darbar" around noon to mark the occasion.
He will continue to hold the "private darbar"at 7pm every evening until September 29, when he will perform a pooja to arms and hold a "Dasara Vijaya Yathre" in his silver chariot in the grounds of the palace.
While the festival will culminate with the spectacular Jumbo Savari with its caparisoned elephants walking majestically down Mysuru's streets accompanied by cultural troups and tableaux, Thursday will see Mr Siddaramaiah hand over the Dasara kreeda jyothi or sports tattoo to India's chess grandmaster, M S Tejkumar and women cricketers, Veda Krishnamrthy and Rajeshwari Goekwad participate in the inaugural event of the seven- day Dasara sports.
Mr Siddaramaiah will later inaugurate the seven- day Mysuru Dasara film festival being organised on the lines of international film festivals and graced by at least 12 Sandalwood stars, including Druva Sarja, Rachitha Ram, Aditya, and Sanchari Vijay. As many as 31 Kannada movies, five other Indian language films and 15 international movies are expected to be screened during the festival.
Siddarmaiah recalls the first time he saw fest
Chief Minister Siddarmaiah who was in Mysuru on Wednesday, recalled the first time he was witness to the Dasara festival and said, “ I was seven or eight when my father took me to Mysuru to see the Dasara festivities. That was the first time that I saw Dasara and the Jumbo Savari. We waited on the footsteps of Bamboo Bazaar near Banni Mantapa. We were eager to see the Maharaja coming in the Jumbo Savari. I was In the crowd and could not see the procession. Suddenly, my father said, "Maharajaru has come, Maharajaru has come. Please do pranaam." I told him I could not see anything. Then he took me on his shoulder and showed the Dasara. That is the first impression of watching the Dasara festivities. It is still fresh in my mind and I can never forget that wondeful spectacle.”
