MYSURU: The 411-year-old historic Mysuru Dasara celebrations and the Jamboo Savari procession, which usually attracts lakhs of people, was reduced to a simple ritual sans people and pomp this year amid the pandemic fear. The ten-day festival concluded on Monday with the Jamboo Savari procession. It ended in just 40 minutes.
The Dasara procession is held on ‘Vijayadashami’, signifying the victory of good over evil.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa performed the Nandi Dhwaja puja between 2.59 pm and 3.20 pm and prayed for the good health of the people and to protect them from Covid- 19 and floods.
He said though the government was forced to restrict the scale of the celebrations, they did not compromise on tradition.
He added that the government would celebrate Dasara in a grand manner next year.
Yediyurappa, accompanied by Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the heir of Mysuru royal family, District minister S T Somashekar and Mayor Tasneem, offered floral tributes to the presiding deity Chamundeshwari, which was placed in the golden howdah. Followed a 21-round gun salute..
The key attraction was the ‘Jamboo Savari’, the procession of the city’s presiding deity Goddess Chamundeshwari, mounted on a golden howdah (seat) on the caparisoned elephant Abhimanyu.
This was Abhimanyu’s debut and he was accompanied by other caparisoned elephants. As the elephants continued their march, there were performances of Chande Mela, stilt walking, Veeragase Kunita and Chilipili Gombe.
The Health Department’s tableau on Covid-19 was about creating awareness about the disease. And then came the Nadaswara team. Unlike the five-km-long procession from the Mysuru Palace to Banni Mantapa, the Jamboo Savari was taken out to a distance of less than 300 m within the palace premises.
What struck those watching it live on TV was the absence of cheering crowds and the general festive mood. Thanks to Covid-19, the Jamboo Savari was held in the presence of a limited audience, a handful of politicians and less than half a dozen cultural troupes.
There were no long queues, people on trees or high-rise towers as the roads around Mysuru Palace were barricaded and entry was restricted. The Covid-19 guidelines like social distance were strictly followed and only a maximum of 300 visitors were allowed. Earlier, in the day Yaduveer Krishnadutta Chamaaraja Wadiyar took out the Vijaya Yatra to offer Banni puja at the Bhuvaneshwari temple within the palace premises.