Tusker Prashantha carries 750-kg Golden Howdah with ease Mysuru: The Jumboo Savari, grand finale and chief attraction of Mysuru Dasara, concluded smoothly yesterday, with debutant tusker Prashantha drawing widespread appreciation for carrying Golden Howdah with composure. Leading the elephant squad, Prashantha carried the 750-kg Golden Howdah bearing the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari through the 5.5-km…

Mysuru: Prashantha carried the Golden Howdah bearing the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari for the first time, completing the Jumboo Savari task and living up to the confidence reposed in him. After the procession, Prashantha returned to the Mysore Palace in a convoy of trucks along with the other elephants. As the truck carrying him made…

Mysuru: The centuries-old ‘Vajramushti Kalaga’, a traditional wrestling contest with a specialised knuckle-duster, held at the Mysore Palace on Vijayadashami, was cancelled yesterday following delays in entry arrangements and confusion over Police restrictions within the Palace premises. The contest was scheduled to begin at 9 am. Wrestlers, or Jattis, had to perform rituals at Shwetha…

D.K. Shivakumar to take part as CM for first time Mysuru: With just 48 hours left for this year’s Jumboo Savari, preparations are in full swing at Mysore Palace, where workers are erecting podiums and pandals for VVIPs, Gold Card holders and other invitees to watch the procession from close quarters. This year’s Jumboo Savari…

Mysuru: Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar yesterday evening formally flagged off Mysuru’s first-ever Kambala buffalo race, bringing the coastal Karnataka tradition to the Dasara celebrations. The two-day event, organised by the Kambala Sub-Committee on the Mysuru Development Authority (MDA) land on the Outer Ring Road near VTU Regional Centre at Sathagalli, drew thousands of spectators. “Kambala…

Dasara tableau artists work without basic facilities; tableaux for rehearsal doubtful Mysuru: This year, around 1,000 artists are working day and night to create tableaux for the Jumboo Savari. At the APMC Yard in Bandipalya, they are working on 53 tableaux representing various Departments, Corporations, Boards, Zilla Panchayats, the Indian Army and the Navy. However,…

Slushy tracks echo with whistles, cheers as buffalo pairs charge forward  Mysuru: For the first time in Mysuru Dasara’s history, Kambala, the traditional buffalo race of coastal Karnataka, was held as part of the festivities this year.  Organised by the Dasara Kambala Sub-Committee at the Mysuru Development Authority (MDA) Grounds near VTU Regional Centre on…

Mere six-minute show disappoints spectators  Mysuru: Thousands of spectators who gathered at the Torchlight Parade Grounds in Bannimantap this morning to watch the Dasara Air Show were disappointed as bad weather forced the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) to cut short its display to just six minutes.  The show, scheduled to begin at 11 am,…

Crowds cheer as 3,500 drones light up the sky  Mysuru: The night sky over Mysuru turned into a canvas of light last night as 3,500 synchronised drones formed colourful images of a peacock, a roaring lion, the presiding deity of Mysuru Goddess Chamundeshwari and the iconic Golden Howdah, drawing loud applause from the crowd.  The…

Mysuru: The Fast-Track Special Court constituted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Mysuru has sentenced Karthik, 32, to death for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl during last year’s Dasara festivities. Judge Anand P. Hoogade pronounced the sentence in open Court this noon, with Karthik present. After the…