11-day Mysuru Dasara festivities begin with a traditional start

The 11-day Mysuru Dasara festivities got off to a traditional start atop Chamundi Hills on Sunday, with Abhinava Gavisiddeshwara Swami of Gavimutt, Koppal, lighting the traditional lamp and showering flowers on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed in a flower-bedecked silver chariot on the temple premises.

The inauguration marked the beginning of a series of Dasara events, including the flower show, citywide illumination, Dasara sports meet, cultural programmes against the backdrop of the illuminated Mysuru palace, food festival, book fair and traditional wrestling bouts.

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and other dignitaries participated in the inaugural ceremony, setting the stage for 11 days of festivities celebrating Mysuru’s rich cultural heritage and royal traditions. For the first time, over 200 seers and religious heads attended the inaugural event.

In his inaugural address, the seer said Dasara, once a royal festival, had evolved into a celebration of the people and the land.