Shivamogga Dasara, the nine-day cultural fest, came to a close with the grand procession that highlighted the rich culture of the land on Friday.
It may be mentioned here that Shivamogga City Corporation had earlier planned to employ trained elephants from Sakrebailu camp for the procession. In wake of enforcement of the model code of conduct for the byelection for Shivamogga parliamentary seat, the district administration then decided to observe Dasara in a simple manner and cancelled the plan to employ the elephants.
K.A. Dayanand, Deputy Commissioner kickstarted the procession by offering puja to Nandi Dwaja at the Kote Shivappa Nayaka Palace. The idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari mounted on a decorated truck was a sight to behold. Dollu Kunitha, Kolata, Tatti Raya, and Veeragase folk art troupes performed. More than 100 beautifully decorated deities from various temples in the city were also taken out.
The procession passed through Ramanna Shreshty Park, Gandhi Bazaar, Shivappa Nayaka Circle, Amir Ahmed Circle, Nehru Road, Durgigudi, Jail Road and culminated at the old prison at Vinobha Nagar where Tahshildar Sathyanarayan performed the rituals related to Banni Pooja. This was followed by Ravan Dahan – the ritual of burning the effigy of Ravana. A spectacular display of fireworks was held.