Mysuru: The 417th edition of the 11-day Mysuru Dasara celebration will be inaugurated atop Chamundi Hills on Sunday by Abhinava Gavisiddeshwara Swami of Gavi Mutt, during the auspicious Dhanur Lagna between 11.50 am and 12.13 pm.In a first for the centuries-old festival, over 100 religious heads representing different faiths are expected to witness the inauguration, signalling an effort to broaden the event’s interfaith presence alongside its traditional religious practices.The highlight of the 11-day celebration is the Dasara procession on Vijayadashami on Oct 21 with the caparisoned elephant carrying the golden howdah amid a sea of people from Mysuru Palace to Banni Mantap grounds.Chief minister DK Shivakumar in a message said the very mention of “Mysuru Dasara” conjures up a beautiful confluence of strength, devotion, grandeur, art, culture, and heritage. Embracing centuries of history and a rich cultural legacy, Dasara stands as the pride of Karnataka and a prestigious festival of the land that commands global attention. Beginning with the sacred worship of Goddess Sri Chamundeshwari, the Dasara Mahotsava symbolises the deep devotion and faith of the people of our land, he stated.Dasara special officer Lakshmikanth Reddy said arrangements have been made to accommodate around 2,000 people at the hilltop inauguration.Religious rituals will begin early in the morning at Chamundi Hills. Chief priest Shashishekhar Dixit said at 5.30am, Maha Rudrabhisheka and Panchabhisheka will be performed to the goddess. He said over nine days, pujas and rituals will be offered to the nine forms of Durga, with Navaratri worship and other religious services for Nava Durgas being conducted. He also said the Saptamatrika Alankara will be done at the temple for the inaugural.With the retirement of Abhimanyu and Mahendra being dropped from the race to carry the howdah after he failed to pass the tests, the forest department has to finalise the howdah elephant from among the select four Dasara tuskers – Dhananjaya, Prashantha, Sugreeva and Ekalavya – with Dhananjaya, who is 45 years old, leading the race given the results of endurance tests.Entry tickets for Torchlight Parade, drone shows on both the days and Dasara gold passes are sold out. Both events will be held at Banni Mantap Grounds.About 3,000 gold passes, which give premium entry to Mysuru Palace (Dasara procession), Banni Mantap Grounds (Torchlight Parade) and Mysuru zoo, were bought in quick time. They were priced at Rs 6,500 each. Dasara procession tickets, which are Rs 3,500 per person, are still available.Private Dasara celebrations by WadiyarsPreparations are also in place for the private Dasara celebrations of the Mysuru royal family at Mysuru Palace on Sunday. Yaduveer Wadiyar, scion of the Mysuru Royal Family and MP, is set to symbolically ascend the throne to hold Khas Durbar, evoking the ceremonial practices that were followed in the pre-Independence era.Things to watch out on Day 1Flower shows food festivalWrestling competitionIllumination of streets
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