Mysuru: After days jampacked with events, Mysuru is now all decked up for the spectacular jumbo savari, which will bring down the curtains on the Dasara festivities, on Vijayadashami day, Friday.
Over 40,000 people assembled before the Mysuru Palace and four lakh others, including a 1000 foreigners, and tourists mainly from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, are expected to witness the procession with its majestic caparisoned elephants both leading it and bringing up its rear, along the 4.8km route from the palace to the Banimantap grounds.
Chief Minister, H D Kumarswamy will inaugurate the procession at the Balarama gate of the Mysuru Palace, by offering pooja to the Nandi Dwaja. The procession of 40 folk cultural troupes, 42 tableaux and caprisoned elephants led by Nishane jumbo, Balarama, will later leave the palace for the Banimantap grounds with elephant Arjuna, carrying the 750 kg golden howdah housing an idol of goddess Chamundeswari, bringing up the rear flanked by two kumki elephants. Arjuna will join the procession after Mr Kumaraswamy offers a floral tribute to the idol of goddess Chamundeswari from a dais before the Mysuru palace.
The police will offer 21 gun salutes, cannon shots will be fired from brass barrels, and the national anthem played before Arjuna leaves the palace to the tunes of the police band and nagaswara accompanied by eight police platoons. At the Bannimantap grounds a torchlight parade will follow, before the golden howdah is returned to the Mysuru palace in a vehicle.
A mobile command centre linked to close circuit cameras, four drones, and 11 body worn cameras, will be set up in the city to monitor the crowds on Vijayadashmi day, which will also see heavy security in place, according to Mysuru city police commissioner, Dr A Subramanyeswar Rao
