While Mysuru heaves with crowds gathered for Dasara celebrations, eager to see its famed procession, did you know that Bengaluru has its own, more low-key Dasara tradition? Held in JC Nagar or Munireddypalya each year, the neighbourhood sees elaborate processions of deities in the evening. The tradition’s roots are recent, compared to its counterpart, with oral histories tracing its origins to a historical event. “While Mysuru’s Vijaya Dashami has a Puranic background, this one is held for a battle won a little over 100 years ago,” shares historian and columnist of Bengaluru history, Suresh Moona.
Taking place for the 114th year this year, Moona traces this tradition’s history to World War I (WWI), when the Mysore Lancers, the Maharaja’s personal army, were sent to fight in the port city of Haifa, then in Palestine and under Ottoman rule. “The Mysore Lancers, also called the Mysore Imperial Troops, were named so because they fought with lances. Their emblem was the kingdom’s Gandaberunda. Between 1914 and 1918, they fought at the Suez Canal, Egypt, Damascus and Palestine,” he says. Today, one can see these details at the Mysore Lancers War Memorial at the intersection of RT Nagar and JC Nagar Main Road.
He adds that this was an unevenly matched battle, with the lancers facing off against a much better-equipped army. “They were not so advanced in warfare, fighting with lances or other traditional war materials, while the Ottomans were already using artillery,” he added. The lancers also had to contend with difficult terrain and heavy gunfire.
This battle came to be known as the Battle of Haifa, remembered each year with memorial events in the city. It was ‘one of the fiercest of WWI,’ says Moona. When some among them returned home to Bengaluru, they were met with celebrations and the annual tradition was born. “Dasara and Karaga are celebrated in various places and each has its own significance. For this one, it is the battle in Haifa,” he shares, adding, “Initially, they returned to Mysore and were honoured by the King. When they returned to Bengaluru, since many of them were the residents of areas near JC Nagar, people celebrated their victory on Vijaya Dashami.”
At the time, with many kingdoms in India under British residents as princely states, to refuse support was not an option. Looking at the larger picture of WWI, the presence of Indian soldiers was immense, shares Moona, explaining, “There was a huge contribution of Indian soldiers. Krishnaraja Wodeyar financially assisted the British army. At the time, if the British commissioner asked, one could not say no. Apart from the Mysore Lancers, there were Hyderabad Lancers and Jodhpur Lancers, with the Jodhpur kings and Hyderabad’s Nizams lending their armies too.” At the war’s close, between 13 to 15 lakh Indians had fought in it, and over 60,000 soldiers had lost their lives.