Mysuru Dasara 2024

Since we didn't celebrate dasara gombe habba at home this year, we planned to visit Mysore for Dasara. 2 things which can be done only during Dasara at Mysore, are watching Vijayadashami Jambu Savari Procession and Golden Throne which is displayed in Amba Vilas Palace only during this time. Since we never wanted to miss gombe celebration at home, we never planned visiting Mysore on Vijaya Dashami day. Unlike ganesh chaturthi, where in festivity starts from chaturthi and can be ended on 1st, 3rd, 5th or 10th day, gombe habba has to end on Vijaya Dashami day, whether you plan to display dolls for 1, 3, 5 or 10days, which you start accordingly. So we never got to be in Mysore on Dashami for Jambu Savari procession. In recent years the lighting in the city has also being extended beyond 10 days of dasara and we plan for the immediate next weekends after festival to get to watch lighting every year. Mysore exhibition which starts during dasara, extends till December, so you have enough time for that too. 

While hubby and daughter had never watched Dasara Procession in person, I had watched it might be 3decades ago. Being studied at KV, I remember we never got long holidays during Dasara, but my cousins who studied in Karnataka state board used to get a month holiday during Dasara, on account of Mysore Dasara. So it should back in 1980s that I watched Jambu Savari last in Mysore. 

Lot has changed over the years, especially with the crowd. Mysore is flooded with people from across the world during Dasara. While we watched the procession sitting roadside back then, you can't expect to watch it at peace these days. So we planned to go for tickets which offer seating arrangement inside the palace campus. 

Tickets don't come with seat numbers and you need to be on time to get a seat closer. We had checked on the muhurtha for nandi pooja(start of the procession), which was at 1PM and we knew we had to be in by 11:30 at least, to get the closer seat. The procession had 50 tableaux from 31 districts and 19 boards, corporations and departments of Karnataka. The procession also included 81 folk troupes from across India. Veeragase, Dollu kunitha, Keelu kudure, kolata, Rajasthani dance naming the few.

Depicting ISRO Gaganyaan, which is supposed to carry fruit fly to space, tableau of Dharwad district

Udupi Tableau depicting Kambala, Kola, temples of costal Karnataka, fisher men and women

Depicting Onake Obavva

First prize winning tableau - Department of Information and Public Relations

Lot of talent and creativity goes into making of tableaux and the performances by artists. The one which steals the show in Ambari, elephant carrying goddess chamundeshwari idol inside golden howdah. Jambu Savari Procession starts with 7 elephants and ends with Ambari, this time carried by Abhimanyu, along with 2 other elephants.

Useful links

For tickets https://www.mysoredasara.gov.in/tickets

For events across Mysuru https://www.mysoredasara.gov.in/dasaraevents 

For Dasara Illumination round trip in double decker bus https://www.kstdc.co/tour-packages/mysuru-sightseeing-by-ambaari-2/