Mysuru Dasara celebrations end with grand Jumbo Savari

Mysuru: The famed Mysuru Dasara celebrations concluded with the grand Jumbo Savari, the march of elephants. Lakhs of people witnessed the march led by the elephant 'Abhimanyu’ which carried 750-kg golden howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru, from Mysore Palace premises to Bannimantap.

It was for the fourth year that ‘Abhimanyu’ carried the golden howdah during the Jumbo Savari accompanied by elephants such as Mahendra, Gopi, Arjuna, Bhima, Rohit, Lakshmi, Vijaya, Varalakshmi, Lakshmi, Sugreeva,  Dhananjaya, Kanjan and Hiranya. The elephants were decorated with organic paintings for the occasion.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the Jumbo Savari by showering flowers on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari mounted on ‘Abhimanyu.’ A customary canon salute was held to mark the beginning of the procession.  The Chief Minister also offered prayers to ‘Nandi Dwaja’ (pole) in front of Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple and was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and his cabinet colleagues.

The Jumbo Savari is the main attraction of Mysuru Dasara festivities in which tamed elephants, drawn from various elephant camps go in a procession from Mysore Palace premises to Bannimantap in Mysuru city. The procession of jumbos is a big crowd-puller, attracting people from far-off places. The procession of elephants passed through K.R. Circle, Sayyaji Rao Road, New Sayyaji Rao Road, Highway Circle to reach Bannimantap.

Tableaux, showcasing the rich culture and heritage of Karnataka, from other parts of the state such as Bidar, Kalaburagi, Mandya, Ramnagar, Hassan, Gadag, Dharwad, Yadgir, Chikkamagaluru, Kolar, Ballari, Belagavi, Chamarajnagar were displayed during the procession from the Mysore Palace premises to Bannimantap,

The Mysuru Dasara festival-2023 was inaugurated on October 15  by renowned lyricist Hamsalekha at Chamundi Hills. The Mysuru Dasara festival has a history of over 400 years which was celebrated by the erstwhile Maharajas of Mysore Kingdom. Continuing the tradition, the Dasara festivities are now celebrated by the State Government and celebrated in Karnataka as “Nadda Habba” (State Festival).

Police tightened the security while traffic movement was diverted on the designated route for the Jumbo Savari. The Torchlight parade was held at Bannimantap after the Jumbo Savari.