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| Mysuru Dasara festivities, 2021. kannada.news18.com |
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| Mysore prince on the golden howdah, Dasara festival,deccanchronicle.com |
The very mention of Mysuru conjures up few things, mouth-watering Mysore Paagu, tasty Mysore Rasam, palatial Mysuru Palace and the annual colorful Dasara celebration in which the prince, the descendant of the erstwhile ruler traditionally participates. Since the spread of COVID -19 that appeared in the early part of 2019, countless temple festivals, religious and public celebrations have been either banned or held on a low key level without any fanfare and enthusiasm.
The annual Dasara celebrations at Mysuru city attracts lots of tourists from many parts of India as well as from other countries. The celebrations backed by the Karnataka government showcase the past glory, cultural aesthetics and the opulence of the royal Wadiyar family who had effectively ruled the kingdom for centuries. During the reign of Chamarajendra Wadiyar X, Chamarajendra Wadiyar X, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV and Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the kingdom had produced a galaxy of Diwans and notable among them were C. V. Rungacharlu, K. Seshadri Iyer, T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty, V. P. Madhava Rao, M. Visvesvaraya, Mirza Ismail, N. Madhava Rao and A. R. Mudaliar. These and other Diwans helped the ruler run the administration successfully. One among the rich Indian states, the ex princely rulers have never lost their name and prestige and they are being held in great esteem by the Kannadigas.
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| Mysuru Dasara royal elephant. in.pinterest.com |
That this year also the Dasara celebrationa will not be an elaborate one and it will be as much virtual as possible is quite sad. However, the Dasara celebrations Committee made an initial decision to restrict the celebration to the minimum in the face of threat from the possible. third wave of Covid-19 that may come in September/October, this year. Final decision will be taken soon, obviously, this year like last year festivities will be simpler and traditional one like the conduct of the festivities previous year. The goal is to avoid crowds.
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| Mysuru Dasara celebrations. google.com |
The 10 day event will be a 9-day one this year and all ''Dasara events will be telecast on television channels''. However, ''a final decision on the number of invitees to witness inaugural and jumbo savari, the finale of the festivities will be taken by the CM.'' - according to the ruling ministry. The government is particular about Covid protocolto be followed during the festivities.
Atop the famous Chamundi Hills on 7 October the inaugural function of the festivities will be held. The highlight of the celebration - the finale of the Dasara festivities, Jumbo Savari, wherein procession of elephants with Royal Elephant carrying 750 kg -golden howdah, is scheduled for 15 October. This time there will be only 5 elephants participating in the jumbo procession. This event, to the accompaniment of various cultural troupes, will normally take place in the late afternoon covering 6 km route from the Mysore palace to Bannimantap. ''This time the Jumbo Savari will be inside Mysore Palace premises.''
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| Dasara illumination, Mysuru palace. financialexpress.com |
With respect to illumination of city roads, buildings as part of Dasara events will not be scale downed according to the government which has allotted Rs. 6 crore (normally Rs. 50 crore will be sanctioned yearly) for the Dasara festivities at Mysuru. Festivities will cover Srirangapatna (20 km from Mysuru city) and also Chamarajnagar about 65-km from here.
Corona virus has impacted the overall life-style of the people world over. India being the most populous country next to China with so many festivals year round, the respective state government takes serious steps to reduce the impact of this deadly virus on the people. Corona pandemic has taken a heavy toll on various temple festivals and public celebrations like the Dasara. The hidden fact is countless health care and other government employees including cops were very much affected. So it is the responsibility of the people to cooperate with the government and work collectively to stop the spread of this dreadful disease that China had purposely let lose on other countries.
Tit-bits:
As part of greening the district during the Dasara celebration in 2014 as many as 30,000 saplings of 50 varieties of medicinal plants were planted and some distributed to women at the Women’s Dasara, and to farmers to encourage them to grow them. Some public places were declared plastic-free zones.
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/140902/nation-current-affairs/article/dasara-festival-go-green-year
https://starofmysore.com/dasara-executive-meeting-will-be-held-on-sept-8-minister/
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