Photos of Mysore Dasara from 1950s-60s on display

An ongoing exhibition has mounted rare photographs of the grand Mysore Dasara, dating back to the 1950s and 60s. It is titled ‘Commemorating the Majesty of Royal Dasara’.

The exhibition is a collaboration between the Indian Institute of World Culture (IIWC) and Heritage Basavanagudi Residents Welfare Forum, and has been curated by Maya Chandra, founder-director of Maya Films.

Maya has been documenting the royal family for years through her podcasts and films. She wanted to showcase how Dasara was celebrated by the erstwhile rulers before the Mysore state was renamed Karnataka in 1973. 

Some of the photographs were sourced from the daughters of Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, Kamakshi Devi and Indrakshi Devi, and their families. It was while working on a podcast episode on Das-ara that Maya learnt about the festive traditions observed inside the palace from Maharaja’s grandson.

Maya came across Subba Rao during this time. He ran a popular photo studio called ‘Photo Flash’ in Mysuru in the 1950s. He had clicked photographs of the Maharaja, the Dasara celebrations, and other events in the Mysore state. The show has 43 photographs of the royal family, of which, 24 have been captured by Subba.

Among the less-known photographs is a 1939 frame of the last Dasara under Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. The erstwhile ruler is seen sitting on the golden howdah (throne) along with his heir Jayachamaraja. In another photo, from the 1950s, Jayachamaraja is receiving a salute at a Torchlight Parade at Chamundi Hills.

The show is on view until October 25, 10 am, IIWC, B P Wadia Road, Basavanagudi.

Other highlights

A show of Dasara dolls curated by five women is being held on the sidelines. A biopic on photographer Subba Rao will be screened on October 25.