Mysuru Royal Family Member Cautions State Government to Reconsider Giving Golden Howdah on Vijayadashmi Day
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar warns that the royal family may reconsider allowing the Golden Howdah procession over alleged police misconduct and interference during Mysuru Dasara.
Member of erstwhile Mysore Royal family Pramoda Devi Wadiyar on Sunday cautioned the State Government that she will reconsider the decision of conducting (allowing) the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari’s procession (with golden howdah) on Vijayadashami day (jumbo savari) over recurring untoward incidents especially by the police officer's/personnel and forest officials towards members of Royal family and its personnel on Vijayadashmi day.
She, in a press release, pointed to the State Government “the golden howdah (weighing about 750-kg) is the private property of the erstwhile Mysore Royal family and does not belong to the State (government).” Jumbo savari procession is a major crowd-puller event during Mysuru Dasara festivities wherein a designated elephant carries 750-kg golden howdah with an idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari mounted on it from Mysore Palace premises to Bannimantap covering about 4.5 km.
Expressing displeasure over the conduct of DCP (Law and Order), Mysuru city, Pramoda Devi Wadiyar said “My representatives were on official Ambari (howdah) duties with a valid duty pass issued by the Commissioner of Police to get back the Ambari intact (after jumbo savari procession), were manhandled and shoved by the police personnel and DCP, Law and Order on October 21” and stated “The attitude of the police personnel is totally unacceptable.”
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar termed the conduct of police officers/personnel as “lack of discipline and constitutes dereliction of duties” during the Vijayadashami day that is on jumbo savari procession day, October 21 as part of Mysuru Dasara festivities-2026 and stated “lack of discipline and constitutes dereliction of duties.”
She wanted “The attitude of the Police personnel needs to be addressed with proper instructions from their superiors.” Pramoda Devi said “It is shocking to witness police personnel and their family members breach the security near golden ambary (howdah) by thronging for ‘selfies’ and photographs.”
Continuing, she said “The Palace private parking reserved for the Royal family was occupied by the police who parked police vehicles and barricading was done mindlessly interfering with our religious rituals and created unnecessary hurdles for the conduct of the rituals. This is unacceptable to the Royal family.”
“For the first time in 45 years, we (Royal family) were kept in the dark regarding the elephant which was designated to carry the Ambari. We were not informed of that information till the last minute and I had to take it up with the Deputy Conservator of Forests Prabhugouda Patil five days before jumbo savari,” she said and stated “This also created enormous amount of stress for no reason.”
She suggested to the State Government “to keep Palace premises free from Ayudha Puja and Vijayadashami for the (Royal) family as per our convenience without any external interference, the Government can conduct idol procession of Goddess Chaumdeshwari, on the day of Chariot fest at the Chamundi Hill and others.”
