Date:24/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/24/stories/2007102453871100.htm

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Karnataka - Mysore

Golden throne to be on display at Mysore Palace till month-end

Special Correspondent

Normally, it is dismantled after the conclusion of the Dasara festivities

It goes on display only during the Navaratri
The throne is reckoned to belong to the Pandavas of the Mahabharata

— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

FOR TOURISTS: The golden throne at the Mysore Palace will continue to be on display till October 31.

MYSORE: The golden throne, which was the cynosure of all eyes among the tourists visiting the Mysore Palace during Dasara, will be on display for the benefit of visitors till October 31, according to the Palace Board authorities.

Normally, the throne is dismantled and kept in the strong room under security after the conclusion of the Dasara festivities. It is on display only during the Navaratri festivities. However, a minor departure was made this year for the benefit of tourists.

The throne is reckoned to belong to the Pandavas and legend has it that it was retrieved by the sage Vidyaranya, preceptor of the founders of the Vijayanagar Empire, Hakka and Bukka, and subsequently gifted to the Maharajas of Mysore.

But there is also another theory that it was a gift made by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Consisting of the main couch or seat, a series of steps and a golden umbrella, the assembling and dismantling of the throne is an elaborate process and is supervised by archaks as per the religious injunctions associated with it.

An interlocking mechanism coalesces it into one cohesive unit.

Meanwhile, the district administration on Tuesday hosted a feast for the mahouts manning the elephants during the festivities and helped add sheen to it.

The mahouts were camping in the city since September and taking care of the elephants, including Balarama, and helped the animal familiarise with the new ambience. The elephants will be given a farewell on Wednesday when they will return to their jungle camps.