<p>The historical Sri Chamarajeshwara Swami Rathotsava was celebrated with religious fervour after a gap of five years, with thousands of people witnessing the grand event here on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, a member of the royal family of erstwhile Mysore state launched the grand Rathotsava—the grand chariot festival—which is held in the Hindu month of Ashada (which corresponds to June – July in Gregorian calendar).</p>.<p>The Rathotsava was last held in 2016. It was discontinued because the chariot was damaged in a fire in 2017 when a mentally unsound person set fire to the chariot’s wheel.</p>.<p>The rathotsava was then stalled, and it took five years to build a new chariot—as people believe using a burnt chariot is inauspicious. The new chariot was built on a budget of Rs 1.2 crore—approved by the Congress government of Siddaramaiah in 2017—by a Bangalore-based artist.</p>.<p>This year, the popular festival saw massive participation from across the state.</p>
<p>The historical Sri Chamarajeshwara Swami Rathotsava was celebrated with religious fervour after a gap of five years, with thousands of people witnessing the grand event here on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, a member of the royal family of erstwhile Mysore state launched the grand Rathotsava—the grand chariot festival—which is held in the Hindu month of Ashada (which corresponds to June – July in Gregorian calendar).</p>.<p>The Rathotsava was last held in 2016. It was discontinued because the chariot was damaged in a fire in 2017 when a mentally unsound person set fire to the chariot’s wheel.</p>.<p>The rathotsava was then stalled, and it took five years to build a new chariot—as people believe using a burnt chariot is inauspicious. The new chariot was built on a budget of Rs 1.2 crore—approved by the Congress government of Siddaramaiah in 2017—by a Bangalore-based artist.</p>.<p>This year, the popular festival saw massive participation from across the state.</p>
