Adichunchanagiri seer Balagangadharanatha Swamiji on Friday kickstarted the Dasara festivities by offering pooja to the ‘utsavamurthy’ of Goddess Chamundeshwari and lighting the ceremonial lamp atop the Chamundi Hills.

The sanctum sanctorum of the Chamundeshwari temple was filled with mixed fragrance of incense sticks and flowers like marigold, sugandha raja, chrysanthemum with which the temple was decorated.

Thousands of devotees thronged the temple, giving a tough time to the temple staff as well as the police personnel deployed there to control the crowd.

Addressing the devotees, Swamiji said every year the festivities brought alive the glorious past, when the Maharajas, through Dasara, promoted arts like music, dance and drama.

He said the festival also served as an occasion for cultural and spiritual uplift. Now with Dasara becoming ‘nada habba’, it is a celebration of democracy and a means for the development of the individual, he said.

Recalling the mythological background of Dasara, the seer said the Pandavas began their ‘vijayotsava’ after performing pooja to the ‘banni’ tree and reclaiming their weapons, which they had kept inside it under the care of Mother Durga, on the Vijayadashami day. Dasara should become a harbinger of goodwill, the seer added.

In his speech, MLA Siddaramaiah, who presided over the function, said that the Dasara celebrated by the Mysore Maharajas, was a continuation of the tradition started by the Vijayanagar kings. Even after elected governments replaced kings’ regime, the tradition is continuing, he said.

Praying for the well-being of those affected by floods, Siddaramaiah said that the festivals has always symbolised the triumph of good over evil.

Highlights

*With the State under President’s rule, State officials seemed to be in the limelight 
* ‘Netas’, of course, did make their presence felt, though there were no ministers. 
* Performance by ‘nadaswara’ troupes and veda ghosha added colour to the rituals