Srirangapatna:  A colourful procession accompanied by a host of folk troupes marked the launching of the 3-day Dasara at Srirangapatna on Thursday.

Former CM and BJP leader S.M. Krishna inaugurated the festival by offering floral tributes to the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari at Bannimantap in Kirangoor. Dasara elephant Abhimanyu carried the Howdah and walked majestically in the procession, accompanied by Kumki elephants Vijaya and Cauvery.

Mandya District In-charge Minister R. Ashoka performed Banni puja, while a team of priests led by Dr. Bhanuprakash Sharma performed pujas.

The Jamboo Savari passed through Kirangoor, Baburayanakoppalu, Kuvempu Circle, Raja Beedhi and Post Office Circle, before reaching Sri Ranganagthaswamy Temple covering a distance of over 4kms.

There were over 20 tableaux from various departments.

Mandya DC Dr.M.V. Venkatesh, ADC T. Yogesh, SP Parashuram and other officials were present.

The procession disrupted traffic on the ever busy Mysuru-Bengaluru road for sometime, with thousands of people thronging the entire procession route.

For the first time, local MLA (Ravindra Srikantaiah) abstained from the event and so also Mandya MP Sumalatha and other MLAs from the district.