Mysuru: A grand procession with over 2000 people taking part marked Bhagiratha Jayanti celebrations in the city this morning organised under the joint aegis of District Administration, Kannada and Culture Department and Zilla Bhagiratha Jayantotsava Samithi.

Mayor M.J. Ravi Kumar flagged off the procession at Kote Anjaneyaswamy temple.

The colourful procession, accompanied by a host of folk troupes  like Kamsale, Veeragase, Kombu Kahale, Dollu Kunitha, Garudi Gombe, Veerabhadra Kunitha etc., passed through K.R. Circle, Devaraj Urs road, JLB road, Metropole Circle and Hunsur road, before reaching Kalamandira where a stage programme  was held later in the afternoon.

The procession also featured a huge portrait of Bhagiratha atop a decorated vehicle and a large heap of salt.

K.R. MLA M. K. Somashekar, ZP CEO P. Shivashankar, ZP member Latha Siddashetty and others were present.

Bhagiratha was a great king, who brought River Ganges, personified as River Goddess Ganga to Earth from the Heavens. When he was the Prince of Sagar Dynasty, he did penance for a thousand years to gain the release of his uncles from the curse of saint Kapila in the Patala Loka.

Bhagiratha Jayanti is celebrated by Uppara Community members, who claim to be producers and sellers of salt (Uppara is derived from the word ‘Uppu’ meaning salt in Kannada).