Srirangapatn:  The historical three-day Srirangapatna Dasara was celebrated in a grand manner yesterday. Thousands of people, including commuters from Mysuru to Bengaluru, were a witness to the gala event as the Jumboo Savari, accompanied by folk troupes, passed through the main thoroughfares of the Fort Town.

Chief Minister H.D. Kuma-raswamy inaugurated the event by offering flowers to the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed in a wooden Ambari on the caparisoned elephant Abhimanyu at Bannimantap near Kiranguru Circle off Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway. Accompanying Abhimanyu were Varalakshmi and Cauvery. The elephants were sent to Srirangapatna by Mysuru Dasara Committee. Ministers C.S. Puttaraju, D.C. Thammanna, Bandeppa Kashampur, MLAs M. Srinivas, Suresh Gowda, MLC Appaji Gowda and film director T.S. Nagabharana accompanied the CM. MLA Ravindra Srikantaiah and his wife performed Banni puja. Later, Chamundeshwari puja, Nandi Dhwaja Puja, Ganesha and Gaja pujas were performed.

The procession passed through Kiranguru, Baburayanakoppalu, Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway, Kuvempu Circle, Bypass Road opposite Jamia Masjid, Rajabeedhi, Ambedkar Circle, and Mini Vidhana Soudha to reach Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. Hundreds of people gathered on both sides of the roads and atop the buildings to have a glimpse of the procession.

The procession comprised cultural troupes, tableaux, horse-driven chariots, bullock carts and others. Hundreds of artistes from nearly 30 troupes participated. The folk troupes included Pattada Kunitha, Veerabhadra Kunitha, Garudi Gombe, Keelu Kudure, Maragaalu, Dollu Kunitha, Jaggalagi Mela, Huli Vesha, Charmavadya, Nandi Kolu and dance forms like Kathakkali of Kerala and Kudiyara Nritya.

Many artistes dressed up as Nalwadi, Kempegowda and Sir MV participated in the colourful procession. Several tableaux like Women and Child Development Department’s tableau on ‘Child marriage’ tableaux of Sericulture Department, Panchayat Raj, Agriculture, Police and Health Departments attracted the cheering crowds. Indian Buddha Mahasabha displayed Buddha’s picture with the theme ‘Yuddha beda Buddha beku’.

Tourist places such as KRS dam, Brindavan Gardens and Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary and historical monuments at Srirangapatna have been illuminated.

Cultural events

Today evening, stand-up comedian and litterateur Prof. Krishnegowda will inaugurate cultural events. Music director and comedian Sadhu Kokila, music director Satish Aryan, local musician Anuradha Bhat and her team will entertain the gathering.

Gopi and team will perform mimicry, Kannada playback singers Rajesh Krishnan, Shamitha Malnad, Supriya Lohith and Purushotham, too will perform. On Oct. 18 at 4 pm, litterateur Dr. Latha Rajashekhar will inaugurate the valedictory function which will conclude with a ‘Dasara Star Night.’

Ilustrious History :

Srirangapatna Dasara is as significant as Mysuru Dasara since Mysuru Dasara was originally started in Srirangapatna in 1610 by Raja Wadiyar I. It shifted to Mysuru only in 1799 when the capital was shifted back to Mysuru after the fall of Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.  Dasara festivities in Srirangapatna have an illustrious history of over four centuries and it was first celebrated there by Raja Wadiyar as Victory Parade after he conquered Srirangapatna, then called historically called as Seringapatam, from Srirangaraya in 1610. Srirangapatna was the capital of Mysuru then.  Despite being historically significant, the Srirangapatna Dasara was kept as a low-key affair when compared to Mysuru Dasara. The celebrations were even stopped for some years but were revived by Mandya District Administration in 2007.