The 401st Dasara is upon us. On the first day of the nine nights, U.B.Vasudev in Tampa, Florida, forwards a panoramic picture of the main Amba Vilas palace in Mysore, the cynosure of all eyes, all lit up.
This picture, as viewed from the Jayamarthanda gate, overlooking the Doddakere maidan and Chamundi Hills, has been stitched together using four different frames captured by Vasudev in March 2010.
This is how it looks during the day, without lights.
“Especially for some of us who grew up in the erstwhile Royal Mysore, this time of the year is very nostalgic. It would have been nice if Mysore Dasara was what it used to be,” writes Vasudev.
The palace, which turns 100 in 2012, is also the star of Karnataka tourism’s print advertising campaign this year, hammering home the point that the Mysore palace attracts more visitors than Buckingham Palace.
A few years ago, the palace attracted more visitors than the Taj Mahal.
***
Vasudev also forwards a YouTube video of the anthem of Mysore composed by the late Basappa Shastry.
***
Also read: Dasara in punya bhoomi vs Dasara in karma bhoomi
On the morning of the first day of the nine nights
What is so famous about “world-famous” Mysore Dasara?
All that glitters is gold for the next ten days
My daddy, His Highness, the Maharaja of Mysore
churumuri 
Thanks Vasudev.. Great pictures.
Dasara was officially inaugurated at Chamundi Hills by Pejavara Mutt swamiji at 9.30 this morning. The world-famous 401st Dasata nadahabba festival had no takers in Chandana Dooradarshna! Between 9 and 930 when the function got off to a start, they were showing some North Eastern dance. Mysore C channel were showing some film music.
I called up Mr. Manohar Joshi, ( of ‘madhura madhuravee .. manjula gana….,’ fame) and asked him why it is not shown live. He mumbled something about not getting satellite time etc..!
We show a marriage Live from Buckingham Palace, Show Obama’s inaugural etc on our TVs half a day… but our own functions we don’t seem to bother…
LikeLike
Magnificent. Grateful to Mr. Vasudev for taking me to my boyhood!
ERR Sir, I think it should be Mahesh Joshi, not Manohar Joshi!
LikeLike
…@ ERR , and i was searching over the net if there was any live coverage ( yupptv, videogirmit….) but not even one
LikeLike
@ERR
The marriage was at the Westminster Abbey. You must have seen it through a Sky /BBC link up. As for showing the event alive, the orgnisers should have invited Rahul Gandhi/the Sardarji PM. That is India today.
LikeLike
Thank you Mr. Sanjeeva!
LikeLike
Looking at a list of programs being conducted under the “Yuva Dasara” banner which goes as follows:
—-
Prabhudeva & Troupe
Mohith Chowhan & Troupe
Hariharan & Lefle lewiz & Troupe (Fusion Music) – Colonial Cousins
Athif Aslam & Troupe
Alka Yagnik & Troupe
Usha Uthap & Troupe
Sunidhi Chowan & Troupe
Shan & Troupe
Kavitha Krishnamurthy & Troupe
—-
I get a strong feeling that the “yuvakaru” of Mysore are being made to feel detached from the original Mysore culture and given a message that future Dasaras should consciously, and progressively exclude & erase Mysore (& Karnataka, Kannada) culture from The Mysore Dasara.
To add to the misery these are programs being run out of our own (taxpayers’) money and I wonder how the organizers (state govt. ie.) can feel unanswerable to people after repeatedly committing mistakes such as those every year. This year’s Food festival has become an unwelcome mob of cuisines from Bengal, Orissa, Gujarat, and where-nots. Those cuisines may be good alright, but question is do they fit into the scene of a tourist’s expectation from a food fest amid Mysore Dasara celebrations? Certainly not, is the answer.
What must be the definition of a Food festival held under the banner of Mysore Dasara? Must this definition be blind to the culinary diversity present within Karnataka? Must the definition of Yuva Dasara keep the youth of Karnataka & their talent itself out of the picture?
LikeLike
Even though I don’t like to say this, perhaps an enactment of good over evil a la what goddess Sri Chamundeshwari did to Mahishasura would be more fitting for these politicians! They seem to be worse than the asuras we have read about in the scriptures.
LikeLike