Mysore Dasara 2023

Mysore Dasara is a royal festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. According to legend, the goddess Chamundeeswari or Durga killed the demon Mahishasura on the day of Vijayadashami.

Dasara is a 10-day festival that ends on Vijayadashami, the tenth day. This day signifies the successful completion of the previous nine days. Vijayadashami also marks the victory of the king and his people in war or governance. The first six days of Navaratri are not celebrated, but the sixth day is dedicated to goddess Saraswathi, the goddess of learning. The eighth day is devoted to Durga, the goddess of power, and the ninth day is for Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. On the tenth day, a grand procession is held from Mysore Palace to Bannimantap, which is a spectacle to behold.

In Karnataka, Dasara is observed as the state festival or Nadahabba, because it is led by the royal family of Mysore. The royal family performs a special pooja on this occasion. During Dasara, the whole city is decorated and lit up. The palace and other important buildings are illuminated with thousands of lights. Cultural events by famous artists are organized in the palace, along with sports, wrestling, poetry, food, and film festivals that attract a large number of people. Dasara exhibition is also held in Doddakere Maidana by the Karnataka Exhibition Authority, where various public and private sectors, business establishments, and government departments showcase their products and services for months.

Mysore is a captivating destination for travelers, especially during Dasara. The Mysore Palace, when illuminated during the Dasara celebrations, draws tourists from all over the world. Nearly Rs. 1 crore every year is spent on maintaining its illumination alone and more than 25,000 bulbs are replaced every year before the Dasara festivities. The elephants that participate in the Dasara procession also undergo training for the grand day. 12 Dasara elephants march from Mysore Palace to Bannimantap twice a day on the procession route.

HISTORY:
Mysore Dasara is a festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil, based on the Hindu legend of Goddess Chamundeshwari killing the demon Mahishasura. The festival is also known as Nadahabba, or the state festival of Karnataka. It lasts for 10 days, starting from Navaratri and ending on Vijayadashami, the day when Chamundeshwari defeated Mahishasura.

The history of Mysore Dasara can be traced back to the 15th century, when the Vijayanagara kings started celebrating it as a mark of their sovereignty and devotion to the goddess. After the fall of the Vijayanagara empire, the Wodeyars of Mysore continued the tradition and made it a grand spectacle of their royal glory and cultural heritage. The first recorded Dasara celebration by the Wodeyars was in 1610 by Raja Wodeyar I in Srirangapatna. Later, in 1805, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III introduced the practice of holding a special durbar (royal assembly) in the Mysore Palace during Dasara, which was attended by dignitaries, officials and common people. This tradition is still followed by the current scion of the Wodeyar family, who holds a private durbar in the palace.

The main attractions of Mysore Dasara are the illumination of the Mysore Palace and other buildings with thousands of lights, the cultural programs by famous artists in the palace premises, the sports, wrestling, poetry, food and film festivals that showcase the diversity and richness of Karnataka, the exhibition that displays various products and services from different sectors and regions, and the grand procession or Jamboo Savari that features decorated elephants, horses, camels, bands, folk dancers, tableaux and idols of gods and goddesses. The procession starts from the palace and ends at Bannimantap, where a banni (Shami) tree is worshipped. The banni tree is considered sacred because it was under this tree that the Pandavas hid their weapons during their exile in the Mahabharata epic. The worship of the banni tree symbolizes the end of evil and the beginning of a prosperous new year.

Mysore Dasara is a unique festival that reflects the history, culture and spirituality of Karnataka. It attracts millions of tourists from all over the world who come to witness the splendor and magnificence of this festival.