‘Jumboo Savari’ enthralls Mysore

Mysore, Oct 19: A sea of humanity turned up to witness the famed Jamboo Savari (the Vijayadashmi procession) in Mysuru on Friday.

Celebrated as "naada habba" (state festival), the event showcased Karnataka's cultural heritage resplendent with folk art forms, as 'Arjuna' led other richly embellished elephants through the more than 5-km route from Mysuru Palace to Bannimantapa.

Thousands of people from the city and tourists from outside the state lined up the streets as Arjuna carrying the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari, placed in a 750-kg golden howdah, found its way majestically from the grand Mysore palace to the terminating point.

The "Jumbo savari", observed in the royal style since the days of the erstwhile Mysuru Maharajas, began with Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy along with his wife Anita showering petals on Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of the historical city.

Armed contingents, including the mounted police, are part of the procession that conjures up images of a bygone era when the maharajas used to celebrate Dasara and cap it with the victory procession.

Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar, the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru Royal family, also offered puja to the Goddess. Pramoda Devi Wodeyar is the widow of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, the last descendant of the Wodeyar dynasty. Srikantadatta Narashimharaja Wodeyar had died of cardiac arrest on December 10, 2013.

This will be followed by the torchlight parade at the Bannimantap Grounds, which includes equestrian events besides a display of synchronised exercise and motorcycling by police personnel. The torchlight parade will officially bring down the curtains on the 10-day festival, popularly termed the 'Naada Habba', which is also a celebration of the State's and the country's diverse culture.

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