The legendary Mysuru Dasara or ‘Nada Habba’ (State Festival) got off to a traditional start atop Chamundi Hills here on Wednesday with Sudha Murty, writer and chairperson of Infosys Foundation, Bengaluru, inaugurating the 10-day festivities by lighting a lamp and offering flowers to the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru, placed inside a silver chariot in the temple.
Prior to this, Ms. Murty, her husband and Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, other family members, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and others offered special prayers at the temple.
The inauguration atop the hills set the ball rolling for a slew of cultural and sports events. These included the Dasara Flower Show, Dasara Sports, Dasara Food Festival, Dasara Film Festival, Dasara Exhibition and Dasara Wrestling.
Thanking Mr. Kumaraswamy and his government for giving her an opportunity for inaugurating Mysuru Dasara, which she called the ‘Pride of Karnataka’, Ms. Murthy said, “I consider myself fortunate for having received the opportunity to inaugurate the festivities that have a history of many centuries.”
Recalling the history of the celebrations from the time of the Vijayanagar rulers to the Mysuru kings, she said Dasara is also celebrated as ‘Mahanavami Habba’ and the famous ‘Mahanavami Dibba’ can be seen even now in Hampi, the former capital of the Vijayanagar Empire.
Chronicling the contributions of the Mysuru kings to the growth of the State, Ms. Murty extolled their services and said they were the ones who popularised Dasara after the Vijayanagar Empire. Their philanthropy is remembered even today, she added. After the Mysuru rulers, the State government started celebrating Dasara as ‘Nada Habba.’