Rain fails to dim the glitter of Jamboo Savari

Thousands of people watched the majestic event in Mysuru, that marked the end of the 10-day-long Dasara festivities

A sea of humanity witnessed the celebrated Jamboo Savari, which brought the curtains down on the 10-day-long grand Dasara festivities amidst pouring rain here on Saturday.

Rain lashed the city soon after the Vijayadashami procession started on the palace premises around 2 p.m., leaving tens of thousands of people who had gathered inside and outside the palace and also along the 5-km-long ‘Raja Marga’ on which the procession passed through till Bannimantap, totally drenched.

This is perhaps for the first time in the last two decades that there was rain during the Dasara procession here. However, the showers did not affect the festive spirit and the royal spectacle, as cultural and folk troupes, who were part of the procession, performed unmindful of it even as the tableaux that portrayed the cultural diversity of ‘Kannada Nadu’ in various art forms and themes captivated the crowds.

Even as all roads led to the palace and a large number of people were awaiting the moment to watch the caparisoned elephants and artists performing since morning, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and several other Ministers and MLAs arrived in a KSRTC Airavat bus at the Jayarama Gate of the palace where the Chief Minister performed the customary ‘Nandi Dwaja’ puja, signalling the start of the procession.

As the caparisoned elephants entered, the entire palace premises reverberated with loud cheers from the crowds with the ‘Nishane Ane’ — Dhananjaya — hitting the procession in style, followed by other decked-up elephants, including Gopi, Sugreeva, Prashantha, Ekavalya, and Mahendra, signalling the beginning of the procession.

Soon the cultural and folk troupes and tableaux made their appearance, one after the another. By this time, the rain that had lashed for over half an hour, cooling down the temperature, had stopped, bringing the much-needed the relief to the spectators.

The crowds on the palace premises were much bigger than in the previous years, with the Dasara executive committee increasing the seating capacity this time for accommodating more people by introducing tickets. The procession began close to the Varaha Gate of the palace instead of the palace forecourt as used to be the norm.

The procession had 49 tableaux and more than 100 cultural and folk troupes drawn from across the State.

By the time the cultural troupes and tableaux exited the Balarama Gate of the palace, it was around 4.45 p.m. and all eyes were on the entry of 58-year-old Abhimanyu which carried the 750-kg golden howdah with the idol (utsava murthi) of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed in it, who was accompanied by kumki elephants Lakshmi and Hiranya.

The police had a tough time controlling the crowds as they tried to get close to see the flower-bedecked ornate ‘ambari’ and the idol.

As Abhimanyu and the ‘kumki’ elephants entered the palace forecourt, passing through the Varaha Gate, there was a thunderous cheer from the crowds even as the VIPs who stood on the elevated rostrum, showered flower petals on the deity around 5 p.m. with the elephants raising their trunks as a mark of respect amidst the 21-cannon salute that reverberated the palace vicinity.

Mysuru MP and scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, who was engaged in the family Dasara celebrations, was not present when Jamboo Savari was flagged off. Normally, the scion is present on the occasion.

The lanes of ‘Raja Marga’ were jampacked, with hundreds of people climbing the buildings to get a glimpse of the Jamboo Savari. Scores of people were seen on treetops watching the procession.

Published - October 12, 2024 08:48 pm IST