Mysuru, Oct 12 : Dasara festival is being celebrated with much fervour and grandeur in Mysuru city. Thousands of tourists including foreigners have flocked to the city to witness the Dasara celebration and the Jamboo Savari.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah conducted Nandi Dhwaj puja at auspicious Makara lagna between 1.41 pm and 2.10 pm and gave a green signal to the Dasara festivities on the last day of the Vijaya Dashami festival.

Abhimanyu, the captain elephant of a group of 9 elephants carried the gilded monument of golden howdah weighing 750 kilos in which the goddess Chamundeshwari idol is placed, from the premises of the Mysuru Palace to the Bannimantap Grounds. Abhimanyu, the elephant is participating in Dasara festivities for the successive 25th year.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Mysuru In-charge, Minister for Social Welfare H.C. Mahadevappa and Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Tangadagi paid flower tributes to the goddess Chamundeshwari.

The Jamboo Savari includes moving tableaux, exhibiting culture, life and geography, and literature of all 31 districts of the state.

It will also include the tableaux of the government programmes and achievements. The Indian Railways will present tableaux of the Vande Bharat Express train. Horse-mounted battalions and police will also show their skills.

The illumination in Mysuru city for 21 days, starting with an official inauguration ceremony. The illumination covers 130 kilometres of the city, including 100 circles and 65 light artworks. The lights remain on for an additional 10 days after Dasara.

'In view of heavy footfalls for the Mysuru Dasara, the Dasara illumination will be extended by 10-12 days,' said Shivakumar.

He added that the lighting in this Dasara is better than the lighting that we did during my tenure as an energy minister.

'The drone show involving 1,500 drones is a big draw. More than 2.5 lakh people had gathered for the programmes of famous music composers Ilayaraja and A. R. Rahman,' he said.

The hair-raising acrobats of military personnel on motorbikes, horse show in precision by Karnataka Armed Reserve Police (Mounted Policemen), entertaining Sound and Light Show and enthralling Torchlight Parade by young Policemen, will bring the curtains down on Navarathri festivities in the city late in the night.

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot will attend the torchlight parade. The programme will commence after paying respects to the Governor.

Mysuru Dasara is a royal festival celebrating the victory of truth over evil. Legend has it that the Goddess Chamundeshwari or Durga finished off the demon Mahishasuran on Vijaya Dashami day.

Dasara is a 10-day festival in the region culminating on Vijayadashami or the tenth day. The day marks the successful conclusion of the preceding nine days.

Vijayadashami is also a day of victory for the king and his subjects, be it in a battle or day-to-day governance.

The sixth day is in honour of the goddess Saraswathi. Eight days are dedicated to Durga and the ninth day is for Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. On the tenth day, a grand spectacular Procession is held which starts from Mysuru Palace and ends in Bannimantap.

In Karnataka, Dasara is observed as the state festival - Nadahabba, because the celebration of the festival is steered by the Royal Family of Mysuru. The royal family of Mysore performs a special pooja on the occasion of Dasara.

During Dasara, the entire Mysuru city is decorated and illuminated. The palace and other important buildings are illuminated. Cultural programmes by famous artists are arranged in the palace along with sports, wrestling, poet's meet, food festivals, and film festivals witnessed by a large number of people.

Dasara Exhibition is arranged in the Doddakere Maidana, by the Karnataka Exhibition Authority, where the public and private sector industries, leading business establishments, and government departments put up their stalls to promote industrial and corporate business for months.

/IANS