Sandalwood stars at Dasara celebrations

The world famous and much-awaited Jamboo Savari marked the end of the 403rd edition of the Mysore Dasara festival on Monday. On the final day of the festivities, around five lakh tourists from across the world were present in the city to witness the event, while 45,000 people from 330 cities like New York, Sydney, Singapore, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lampur and Amsterdam watched it live through the Mysore Dasara official website.Chief Minister Siddaramaiah kicked off the procession at around 1.30 pm by offering prayer to Nandhi Dwaja. The highlight of the day was the 5-km-long Jamboo Savari, or elephant procession, in which Arjuna carried the 750kg golden howdah. Balarama, the elephant that had carried the howdah for 13 years, also participated in the procession. Forty-two tableaux, depicting the rich history and different art forms of Karnataka, and 65 cultural troupes with folk artists from Kerala, Manipur, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Assam, added glitter to the procession. What was unique this year was that for the first time ever, a separate enclosure dedicated for foreign tourists was built, which accommodated nearly 1,000 people. There was also a small unmanned aircraft with a high definition camera to keep a vigilant eye on the event. Jerome Taylor, a tourist from Australia who watched the procession inside palace premises, says, “I have seen various Dasara festivals in Rajasthan and West Bengal, but this is awesome. The separate enclosure for tourists is a good move. The golden howdah was a treat to watch.” Another tourist, Pankaj Singh from Haryana, who was in Mysore with his family, says, “I have no words to describe the procession. I think this is the only place in the country where folk dancers, tableaux and elephants can be seen walking on the roads. I hope to come back next year as well.” The day wound to a close with a torch light parade at the Bannimantap grounds. This was followed with a laser show, thrilling bike stunts, tent pegging and dance performances by various cultural troupes, all of which left the audience spellbound.