Mysore: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurates Jamboo Savari at Mysore Palace on Monday.
The 10-day Dasara festivities concluded here on Monday in grand style, despite a few hiccups, with over five lakh people witnessing the 403rd Jamboo Savari.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, a Mysorean after D Devaraja Urs, launched the procession of 122 troupes, including 42 tableaux and a Russian troupe, by offering puja to the Nandi Dwaja at the Balarama Gate (north gate) of the Amba Vilas Palace here at 1:20 pm, the auspicious Makara lagna.
The procession was led by Nishane elephant Balarama, who had carried the famed golden howdah for 13 years, and Naufat elephant Harsha, flanked by seven other elephants. All elephants, wearing new ornaments this year, walked majestically.
After being witness to the one-km-long procession, the chief minister offered floral tributes to the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari in the 750-kg howdah, mounted on Arjuna, signalling the formal start of the Jamboo Savari.
The howdah tilting towards left on Arjuna gave tensed moments to the officials, mahouts and kavaadis. Near K R Circle, the howdah was balanced with the help of the kavaadis of the kumki elephants.
To mark the occasion, 21 ‘Kushala Thopus’ (cannonades) were fired and the National Anthem played by the police band as the Chief Minister offered flower petals to the idol at 4:05 pm.
He offered flowers to the idol once again after the gun salute was complete. In his Dasara message, the chief minister said that he prayed to Goddess Chamundeshwari for adequate rains, good crops and peace and prosperity of the people in Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah noted that this was the best-ever Dasara organised by any government in the State and that a record number of people had participated in the event.
Arjuna carried the howdah for the second time in line.
Royal scion Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar was not extended an invitation to the ceremony, which is a custom. Wadiyar skipped the howdah-mounting event, citing health problems.
People braved a scorching sun to watch the Jamboo Savari. Moving clouds provided relief at intervals.
Procession of controversies ahead of Jamboo Savari
Mysore: Wadiyar skips ceremony; minister, MLAs miffed over distribution of passes
Festive fervour: A sea of humanity witnesses Jamboo Savari in Mysore on Monday. Participants in the procession.
Chaos, confusion and controversies marked the run-up to the grand finale of the 403rd Dasara celebrations in Mysore on Monday.
High drama unfolded two days before Jamboo Savari, with District in-Charge Minister V Sreenivas Prasad losing his cool over passes issued to VVIPs for Jamboo Savari. At one point of time, he is said to have even threatened to boycott the grand finale. He was later pacified by Siddaramaiah.
On Sunday, when both deputy commissioner C Shikha and police commissioner M A Saleem handed over a set of passes to the miffed Minister at his residence, Prasad is said to have flung them. Prasad was peeved to receive passes issued to general public.
Moreover, a sea of his followers had converged in front of his house, crying hoarse against the authorities, especially Saleem for restricting distribution of passes. This was followed by the meeting at Palace Board office, where the Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait and several others took the DC, who is also the Dasara special officer, to task.
Shikha is learnt to have expressed her inability, passing the buck to Saleem.
The drama continued on Monday too, hours before Jamboo Savari, with Prasad remaining absent during the Chief Minister’s visit to Suttur Mutt. Also, Chamaraja MLA Vasu is said to have thrown a fit over the passes. Vasu who initially got 25 passes, is said to have calmed down only after he was given 75 passes.
Wadiyar absent
Owing to reported health complications, the royal scion Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, skipped the ceremony to pay floral tribute to the howdah elephant. Instead, a priest named Narendra from the Palace completed the ritual by offering puja to Arjuna, the howdah carrier elephant. Siddaramaiah, Prasad, Mayor N M Rajeshwari and officials offered floral tributes to the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari kept inside the 750-kg golden howdah, a piece de resistance of Navaratri festivities.
Sources said that Wadiyar who is suffering from pain in the waist, also preferred to take a car instead of the silver palanquin during his private Jamboo Savari preceding the government ceremony held within the Palace precincts in the morning.
Dressed in the royal attire, he took the car to reach ‘shami’ tree in the corner of Jayamarthanda gate. It is rumoured that Wadiyar, who also stayed away during the previous Jamboo Savari, may have deliberately absented himself, because of his differences with Siddaramaiah. It was during Siddaramaiah’s tenure as deputy chief minister in the then J H Patel’s Cabinet, the government had made a bid to take over the palace.
Howdah tilts
The golden howdah carried by Arjuna, tilting to its left added to the burgeoning list of controversies throughout the Jamboo Savari.
Though it came to notice after floral tributes were offered to Goddess Chamundeshwari, the authorities couldn’t do much other than tying a rope to the howdah with the ‘kavadi of kumki’ elephant Sarala holding the rope. Last year too, when Arjuna carried the howdah, it had titled dangerously, creating a scare. It is said that Arjuna’s back is not as flat as that of Balarama, his predecessor.
‘Forced’ into procession
Though senior Forest officials had expressed their apprehensions about using Balarama, the veteran howdah carrier during the procession, the elephant was apparently forcefully made part of Jamboo Savari.
On Ayudha Puja day, officials along with mahouts and kavadis were supposed to take a collective decision over including Balarama in the procession in view of his erratic behaviour during the rehearsals. It is said that officials gave in after mahouts and kavadis made a noise over the issue.
GRAND PICS OF WORLD FAMOUS DASARA – 2013
