Mysuru: With tourists yet to come out of this year’s Dasara hangover, the Mysuru District Administration has extend a cordial invite for the tourists and Mysureans to be a part of Mysuru Winter Festival – 2017. You read it right! The City of Palaces will be hosting a 10-day spectacle from Dec.23, 2017 to Jan.1, 2018.

The Mysore Palace Board will be hosting a grand Flower Show at the Palace premises throughout the festival for which the entry has been provided from 10 am to 9 pm.

The main attraction at the Flower Show includes a 20ft. tall floral replica of Old Palace, 15ft. replica of Golden Throne with Maharaja seated with clay models of the soldiers. This apart, more than 10,000 plants of 33 various species will be on display.

The Palace Board has also prepared clay model of ‘Aane Gaadi’ with four musicians playing instruments. The three entrances of the Mysore Palace will be decorated with flowers with the help of gopura-like structures. There is also display of special flowers like Carnation, Lily and Alstroemeria to be brought from Ooty.

Children will have fun at the Flower Show with floral and vegetable models of King Cobra, Tortoise, Star Fish, Octopus, Jai Hanuman, 18ft. Sukoi Aircraft, Chhota Bheem and Baal Krishna being kept on display. The Mysore Palace Board will also construct a vertical garden measuring 10ft. in height and 273ft. in width attached to Varahaswamy Temple wall. The Board will be using different varieties of plutonia flowers. This year, the authorities will be utilising around 3.5 lakh flowers to decorate the Palace premises.

Companies such as Brakes India Limited (Nanjangud), Horticulture Department, Government Ayurveda College, Vaishnavi Landscapes, BEML Mysuru, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS) and others have been invited to participate in the Flower Show.

Cultural Programmes

The District Administration has also invited artistes to perform during the cultural festival to be held at the Palace premises between 7 pm and 9 pm everyday during the Winter Festival. Below are the details:

Dec.23: ‘Sangeetha Sambhrama’ featuring artistes Mysuru Mohan, Nanditha, Divya Raghavan, Anuradha Bhat, Ajay Warrier, Vyasaraj Sosale and Chinmay Aathre.

Dec.24: ‘SaReGaMaPa Saurabha’ featuring singer Sriharsha of Zee Kannada SaReGaMaPa fame.

Dec.25: Musical evening featuring singer Rajesh Krishnan and troupe.

Dec.26: Music and dance performances by artistes of South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur – 6 pm to 7 pm. ‘Gaanayana’ by Sunitha Chandrakumar and Raghuleela Sangeetha Mandira. Presented by Information and Public Relations Department – 7 pm to 9 pm.

Dec.27: Bhavageete, Vachana, Dasarapada and Folk Songs concert by Puttur Narasimhanayak – 7 pm to 9 pm.

Dec.31: 7 pm to 9 pm – Police Band to perform on the New Year’s Eve followed by display of fireworks by Mysore Palace Board.

Jan.1: Valedictory of Flower Show and illumination 2018 of Mysore Palace on the New Year’s Day –  7 pm to 9 pm.

This apart, there is also photographic exhibition and also display of rare photographs of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar throughout the festival.

Display of Dolls

Various traditional dolls depicting Vishnu’s Dashavathara, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Festivals, Nava Shakti or Navadurge, Samudra Manthana, cultural dolls will be at display at the Dolls Show to be held at Bombe Mane in the Palace premises.

Children Festival

The District Administration has also organised Children Festival which will include folk performances like Karaga, Kamsale, Nagari, drawing and painting competition, fancy dress competition, traditional wrestling for 10 pair children, display of spinning wheel, potter wheel, making of different animal, birds and butterfly mask and origami.

This apart, special yoga camp and desi games have been organised for children. Speically-abled children will also present cultural programmes at the Palace premises.

Cycling to heritage sites

The Department of Archaeology, Heritage and Museums has organised a Cycle Jatha to various heritage sites in city from Dec.26 to 28. The event will be held between 7 am and 9 am on all three days.

The Jatha begins from Town Hall and pass through Silver Jubilee Clock Tower, Chamaraja Wadiyar Circle, Amba Vilas Palace, K.R. Circle, Lansdowne Building, Jaganmohan Palace, Viveka Palace, Oriental Research Institute, Crawford Hall, DC’s Office, Metropole Hotel and Hotel Mayura, City Railway Station and Mysuru Medical College, before culminating at Research Institute.

Those interested to participate can contact Ph: 0821-2424671 or N.L. Gowda on Mob: 81050-01151.

Cake and Food Festival

The Department of Food and Civil Supplies will organise a three-day Cake and Food Festival from Dec. 27 to 29. The Festival will be held at Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry. The Department has also organised various cultural events and competitions for the general public.

Open Street Festival

Following successful Open Street Festival held during Dasara-2017, the Tourism Department has organised an Open Street Festival on Dec.30 between 8 am and 7.30 pm on D. Devaraja Urs Road. The Festival features cultural programmes, workshops and exhibitions. The organisers are making arrangements of setting up about 80 shops for the display of various items. This apart, 25 cultural troupes will perform on stage in the day-long Festival which will also sell variety of food cuisines and food truck to attract gastronomes from all across the city and outside.

Film Festival

The Department of Information and Public Relations will screen many blockbusters and award-winning movies during the three-day Film Festival to be organised at Kalamandira.

Musical Fountain

To make the Winter Festival more attractive, the Horticulture Department will switch on the musical fountain at the Kuppanna Park from 7 pm to 8.30 pm on all 10-days from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1, 2018.

People can also follow social networking sites for regular updates:

Facebook: facebook.com/mysuruwinterfestival

Twitter: @Mywinterfest17

Instagram: @mysuruwinterfestival