Royal Dasara Celebration at Mysore

The feeling of being a part of lakhs of enthusiasts from around the world is amazing. My visit to Mysore, a city in Karnataka, India, had given me a chance to witness Dasara (Dusshera) festival celebrated in a Royal way. Crowd of around a million visitors and local residents gathered inside and outside the Mysore Palace to witness the traditional Dasara procession. 

Mysore Palace - Que moving towards the procession area 

Following the que of 1500 people to enter the Palace

The main attraction was the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed in a golden pavilion on top of a decorated Elephant followed by Cultural representations from different parts of Karnataka, Vibrant performances by Dance groups, music bands, marching horses and decorated elephants. The procession starts from Mysore palace and culminates at Bannimantapa, where the banni (Prosopis Spicigera) tree is worshipped by the king himself.

As Dasara is one of the most popular event in South India, all the passes were sold out, but we managed to spot people who were selling passes in black. Standing behind the que of around 1500 people to enter the palace is worth the wait. The first step inside the palace campus and I was stunned to see more than 3 lakh heads already seated, The enthusiasm that made me and my friend Shwetha travel all the way from Bangalore to Mysore pushed me to squeeze in and pass the crowd to reach the front of the ground, towards the procession area. 

Around 4 Lakh people seated in the Mysore Palace premises

Factors like heat, sweat, hunger and tiredness were all forgotten all I remember is, I want some good shots.

As all the seats were already occupied, I folded my legs and sat down in the floor with Shwetha, under the open sky waiting for the procession to begin. After an hour, hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Jagadish Shivappa Shettar came in as Chief Guest.

JUMBO entry

Excitement began, on my feet, camera ready. I heard people saying, here comes Jumbo, wondering what it is, then saw beautifully decorated elephants with their Mahouts walked in the ramp (Jumbo called by localites). They stopped near the CM and raised their trunks to bless, its an indication to start the event. 

The procession begins with vivid tableaux from around Karnataka, artists performed their best to representing their culture. It’s a wonderful experience to witness such diverse cultures. The sound of the huge leather tambourine, drums, horns and the 4 Lakh cheering crowd was amazing. The smartly dressed officers in their horses marched in complete sync. The royal music band seated on an elephant played their tunes to mark this day. The crowd was overjoyed with the performances and cheers echoed as it continued.

Drummers playing their cultural beat

Dancing with idols of Goddesses in their head

CM and other members showing flowers on the idol
of Goddess Chamundeswari

As the performances were coming to an end, the Idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed in a Golden pavilion came on a royal Elephant decorated to look the best and halted near the hon’ble Chief minister, he climbed up the stage and showered flowers on the Idol, concluding the procession inside the palace.

Idol  of Goddess Chamundeswari in the
Golden pavilion

Crowd witnessing the procession

The procession marched out from the palace towards Bannimantapa passing the streets of Mysore where almost 6 lakh people were eagerly waiting to witness the procession. While the people outside the palace finally got to see the procession, the palace premises suddenly turned so deserted, felt like the crowd just disappeared. 

With the joy of such a wonderful experience, me and Shweta walked towards the exit gate. The setting sun gave a beautiful silhouette to the palace and here I get my concluding shot.