सनातन पुस्तकालय Sanatan Cultural Library

Mysuru takes its very name from Mahishasura, the buffalo demon whom the Goddess destroyed; as Chamundeshwari she is enthroned on Chamundi Hill overlooking the city, and Dasara is her victory celebration. The festival's public grandeur is a royal inheritance. The Vijayanagara emperors kept Mahanavami with legendary splendour, and after that empire's fall Raja Wodeyar I of Mysore revived the celebrations at Srirangapatna in 1610. The Wodeyar dynasty made Dasara the defining ceremony of their court: a private durbar is still held within the palace, the royal sword and the throne receive worship, and the reigning family remains closely involved. After Independence the celebration passed into civic hands, and the Government of Karnataka now conducts it as the official Nadahabba — the festival of the whole land — opened each year atop Chamundi Hill with floral offerings to the Goddess.

Through Navratri the Mysore Palace glows each evening under tens of thousands of lamps, a sight that draws visitors from across India. The palace grounds and city venues host classical music and dance, wrestling bouts, film and food festivals, a flower show and the great Dasara exhibition. Everything builds towards Vijayadashami, when the Jamboo Savari sets out from the palace: the utsava murti of Chamundeshwari, seated in the golden howdah (ambari), is carried by a caparisoned lead elephant through the city streets amid folk troupes, tableaux, mounted guards and massed bands. The procession ends at Bannimantap, the ground named for the banni (shami) tree, whose worship on Vijayadashami recalls the Pandavas reclaiming their weapons. That night the Panjina Kavayatthu, the torchlight parade, closes the festival with horsemanship, drill displays and fireworks.

Mysuru Dasara belongs to its city — the palace lights, the elephants and Bannimantap cannot be transplanted — but Kannadiga families in Canada keep a living link with it. The main events are broadcast and live-streamed widely each year, and the time difference works in our favour: evening events in Mysuru fall in the Ottawa morning, so families often watch the Jamboo Savari together over a weekend breakfast. At home, the same Navratri days can be kept in the Karnataka manner: arranging a small gombe (doll) display, offering worship to Chamundeshwari or Durga, and exchanging banni leaves or simply the greeting on Vijayadashami. Some families plan a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Mysuru for the season; hotels fill months ahead, so early planning matters. Check your local temple for Navratri and Vijayadashami programmes here in Ottawa.