The Hindu : Dasara begins with prayers for rain

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 08, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Dasara begins with prayers for rain

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE OCT. 7. Prayers for rain, peace, and prosperity for the State marked the inauguration of the austere Dasara festivities at Chamundi Hills on Monday morning.

The inaugural ceremony was not devoid of elaborate rituals, and the presiding deity of Mysore, Goddess Chamundeshwari, was propitiated with prayers at 7.22 a.m., amidst the chanting of hymns accompanied by traditional music.

H. Vishwanath, Minister in charge of Mysore District and Minister for Cooperation, inaugurated the nine-day festival at the auspicious hour ordained by priests. Earlier, he was given a ceremonial welcome and ushered into the main entrance of the Chamundeshwari Temple for "abhisheka" and customary rituals, which were followed by Mahamangalarthi.

The chief priest of the Chamundeshwari Temple, Nagendra Dixit, performed puja, following which Mr. Vishwanath arrived at the Raaga Raagini Mantapa and lit the lamp, which signalled the commencement of the Navaratri in Mysore. While traditional rituals were observed, there was no State-sponsored fanfare.

At the function, Mr. Vishwanath took the place of C.N.R. Rao, who was to inaugurate the Navaratri festivities, as the latter cancelled his programme. This is the first time in the long tradition of the Dasara festivities that the chief guest who was invited to inaugurate them has failed to turn up.

The festivities have been scaled down by the Government due to the drought and the Cauvery agitation.

The ostentation that marks the inauguration of the Mysore Dasara was given the go-by, and the authorities restricted it to a simple ceremony. All cultural programmes, including torchlight parade and music programmes, have been cancelled. The "Jumboo Savari", scheduled for Vijayadashmi on October 15, will be restricted to the Palace premises.

The previous occasion on which the procession route was curtailed was in 1994. The decision was taken as part of precautionary measures against plague, which was spreading in Surat and other parts of western India.

Speaking after the inauguration, Mr. Vishwanath recalled the circumstances that that led to the scaling down of the festivities this year, and expressed hope that things would begin to look up soon.

He described the "padayatra" being undertaken by the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, as a "bold move" to uphold the interest of the farmers in the Cauvery Basin. "I will take prasada of Goddess Chamundeshwari, which will stand him in good stead, and pray that the goddess bestow her blessings on him,'' he added.

The Minister for Horticulture, M. Shivanna, the Mysore Mayor, T.B. Chikanna, the Deputy Commissioner, Kumar Naik, the MLA, A.S. Guruswamy, and the Commissioner of Police, C. Chandrashekar, attended the ceremony.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Only a `peace and goodwill march': Krishna

Dasara begins with prayers for rain

Protest staged near Hemavathi Reservoir

`Contempt of court does not arise'

BJP threatens to block CM's entry into Mysore Dt.

Krishna has launched Cong. election campaign: JD(S)

Reviving an ancient tradition

Rainwater to meet Raj Bhavan needs

`SC has no role in Cauvery dispute'

Veerappan seeks response in 8 days