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The origin of Mysore Dasara dates back to the 15th century Vijayanagar dynasty. The Wadiyars of Mysore continued this colourful and religious celebration under the aegis of Raja Wadiyar in the year 1610. Dasara is also known as the 'Navarathri', where days of worship and celebration culminate on Vijaydashami day. Mysore Dasara has been declared as ‘Naada Habba’ or the State festival.
Legend has it that the resident demon of Mysore, known as 'Mahishasura', was slain by the goddess Chamundeshwari, the family deity of the Wadiyars. For that reason, 'Vijaydashami' is celebrated representatively as the win of good over evil.

During Dasara, the brightly illuminated Mysore Palace and the entire city is a sight to behold. In September 1805, the Wadiyars started holding a special durbar or a royal assembly, similar to that of the Mughal emperors for members of the royal family, Europeans, palace officials, royal priests and key citizens. Commoners also participated in the durbar. The festival became a tradition of the royal household and reached its zenith during the rule of Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar (1902-1940).

Recently the ceremonies are largely a private affair of the royal family, attended only by a select audience. Clothed in royal outfit and traditional head-dress, His Highness Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the scion of the royal family, climbs the seven steps to the golden throne, which is assembled according to religious instructions, at a predetermined hour and receives obeisance from the public. Palace musicians then play the signature tune to celebrate the assumption of power by the Wadiyars.
The Amba Vilas or the Diwan-e-Khas has always been the site for most of the celebrations of the Mysore Dasara. On the opening day of the festival, the King, after a ceremonial bath, worships the family deity and enters the durbar to the accompaniment of sacred chants and music. He worships the Navagrahas (nine sacred planets) and the sacred `Kalasa', and then ascends the throne at an auspicious moment. The palace lights are then lit and a 21-gun salute given, as the royal motif and the sword are presented to him.

According to legend, the Mysore Royal throne was used by king Dharmaraja, the Pandava. Kampilaraya brought it from Hastinapura to Penugonda, where it lay buried. The throne was later rediscovered by Vidyaranya, the royal priest of the Vijayanagar Empire and presented to Raja Wadiyar in 1609. Yet another legend is that the Moghul Emperor Aurangazeb gifted the throne to Chikkadevaraja Wadiyar in 1700. The third legend says that it belonged to the mythological King Vikramaditya. The King accepts offerings from various temples and religious centers, which are blessed by royal priests chanting Vedic verses. In the past, vassals, dewans, army chiefs and other royal staff would line up to offer their homage to the throne. An ensemble of musical instruments, accompanied by dance, begins and the blowing of conches and trumpets announce the commencement of a parade of uniformed soldiers.

The caparisoned royal elephant arrives and showers rose petals on the assembled guests. The royal horse, equally decorated, bends in salutation to the throne. While the assembly leaves the court after paying respect to the King, the Queen and other royal ladies express their deference to the King. The King leaves the durbar hall after praying to the Goddess once again and partakes in a lunch with the royal guests.

This ceremony is repeated on all the days during Navarathri, accompanied by acrobatic feats, wrestling sessions by champion wrestlers, fireworks display and other forms of entertainment, which are open to public. The King worships the Goddess Saraswathi on the seventh day and Mahisasuramardini on the eighth. On Mahanavami, the royal sword is worshipped ceremoniously and all the armaments are taken out in a procession comprising of elephants, horses, camels and the royal entourage.
Navarathri concludes in the imposing Vijaydashami celebrations, also known as Jamboo Savari. The opulence and splendor of this event has popularised the Mysore Dasara the world over. The earlier practice was that the King himself would lead the procession on the royal elephant’s back. The King would be seated upon a decorated golden Howdah weighing over 750 kgs. But now the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari is placed in the golden Howdah and taken in a procession.

Colourful tableaux, folk dancers, music bands, caparisoned elephants, horses and camels form a part of the procession which starts from the Mysore Palace and adjourns at Bannimantap, where the sacred Banni tree (Prosopis spicigera) is worshipped. According to the famous epic Mahabharata, the Banni tree was used by the Pandavas to hide their arms during their Ajnathavasa (disguised life). Before undertaking any warfare, the kings traditionally worshipped this tree to help them emerge triumphant in the war. The Dasara festivities culminate on the night of Vijayadashami with an event held on a grandiose scale at the Bannimantap known as Panjina Kavayatthu (torch-light parade). A much awaited finale to Dasara, this event attracts thousands of visitors.

Mysore Dasara is a Royal Festival Celebrating victory of Truth over Evil. Legend has it that the Goddess Chamundeeswari or Durga slew the demon Mahishasuran on Vijayadashami day.

Dasara is a 10-day festival in the region culminating on Vijayadashami or tenth day. The day marks the successful conclusion of the preceding nine days. Vijayadashami is also a day of victory of the King and his subjects, be it in a battle or day-to-day governance. The preceding nine days of Navarathri have celebrations starting only after six days. The sixth day is in honour of goddess Saraswathi. Eight day is dedicated to Durga and Ninth day is for Lakshmi, goddess of wealth. On tenth day a grand spectacular Procession is held which starts from Mysore Palace and ends in Bannimantap.
In Karnataka, Dasara is observed as State festival - Nadahabba, because of the celebration of the festival is steered by the Royal Family of Mysore. The royal family of Mysore performs special pooja on the occasion of Dasara. During Dasara, the entire City is gaily decorated and illuminated. The Palace and other important buildings are illuminated. Cultural programmes by famous artists are arranged in the Palace along with Sports, Wrestling, Poet's meet, Food Festival, Film Festival witnessed by a large number of people. Dasara Exhibition is arranged in the Doddakere Maidana, by the Karnataka Exhibition Authority, where the public and private sector industries, leading business establishments, Government departments put up their stalls to promote industrial and corporate business for months.


Mysore is an enthralling destination for travelers, especially during Dasara. The illuminated Mysore Palace during the Dasara celebrations draws tourists from all over the world. Nearly Rs. 1 crore every year is spent towards maintenance of its illumination alone and more than 25,000 bulbs are replaced every year just before the Dasara festivities.The elephants for the Dasara processions are also undergoing training for the grand day. 12 Dasara jumbos will march on the procession route from Mysore Palace to Bannimantap twice a day.

Events:
During the celebration of Dasara, there will be a lot of events happening all over the Mysore district .This sub site gives you the activities conducted by various Dasara committees. At present 35 Dasara committees are functioning.Details of each committee activity could be seen on the respective pages.