Mysore/Mysuru: Though not allowed for public viewing, one of the major rituals performed during Navarathri celebrations is the assembling of the gem-studded Golden Throne (Suvarna Simhasana). The process was completed today at the Amba Vilas Durbar Hall in iconic Mysore Palace with all the accompanying rituals.
The rituals began at 6.30 am with performance of Navagraha Homa, Shanti Homa, Ganapathi Homa and Chamundi Puja at Durbar Hall.
Later, the Strong Room in the underground of the Palace, where the Golden Throne is kept, was opened from where eight parts of Suvarna Simhasana and six parts of Belli Bhadrasana were brought to the Durbar Hall.
Around 8-12 Palace staff thoroughly checked all the parts brought from the Strong Room and assembled the throne for the 413th Dasara and the Bhadrasana was assembled at Kannadi Thotti amidst tight Police security. The process was complete with Purnahuti.
As part of this ritual, the Pattada Aane (elephant), Pattada Kudure (horse), Pattada Hasu (cow), Pattada Onte (camel), all adorned with royal clothes, were also brought and pujas performed at Kalyana Mantapa.
The CCTV cameras installed between the Strong Room and the Amba Vilas Durbar Hall corridor were all covered and even the members of the staff were asked not to carry mobile phones inside. Their phones were taken away and kept in a locker.
The puja rituals were led by Palace Priest Srihari and Shyam Dixit. Member of Mysore Royal Family Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, her PA Mahendra, Palace Secretary M. Lakshminarayana, Palace Board Deputy Director T. S. Subramanya, Palace Security ACP Chandru and others were present.
As tourists will be allowed entry to Palace in the afternoon, the Golden Throne at Durbar Hall was covered with white screen and arrangements were made to divert the visitors from a little distance. However, sources said that there are plans to allow visitors to have a glimpse of Golden Throne with an extra ticket from tomorrow.
As boards giving information on the restriction to Palace entry in the mornings hours today was put up across the Palace day before yesterday itself, tourists made sure that they visited other tourist places and visit the Palace in the afternoon.
Khas Durbar: The Khas Durbar (Private Durbar) will begin from Sept. 26 when titular head of Mysore Royal Family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar will ascend the throne and hold the Durbar.
Public entry to Palace restricted
Following various rituals to be performed by the members of the Mysore Royal family as part of the Dasara festival, entry of the public and tourists to the Palace is restricted at certain timings on the following days:
Sept. 26 – from 10 am to 1.30 pm: Private Durbar.
Oct. 4 – from 10 am to 2 pm: Ayudha Puja.
Oct. 5 – Palace will be closed for the entire day for Vijayadashami.
Oct. 20 – from 10 am to 1 pm: For dismantling of Golden Throne and shifting it back to the strong room.
“Sept. 26 – from 10 am to 1.30 pm: Private Durbar
Sirdar Vallabhai Patel abolished Royalty soon after independence, and JC Wadiyar was ‘allowed’ to conduct Durbar, although he was no longer a Maharaja as a special concession to him That too ended in 1969.
Pramoda Devi, thinking that she is the wife of the Maharaja: SD Wadiyar, forgetting that she has been just a rich landlord adopted a son and called him Yaduveer Wadiyar, and this man is going to climb this throne in a room watched by 20 people!!
What a nonsense.