Mysuru Dasara festivities begin as seer lights traditional lamp atop Chamundi Hills

Abhinava Gavisiddeshwara Swami of Gavimutt in Koppal lit the traditional lamp atop Chamundi Hills on Sunday, beginning the 11-day Mysuru Dasara festivities.

He also showered flowers on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, which was placed in a flower-bedecked silver chariot on the temple premises.

Traditional ceremony opens the festivities

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and other dignitaries participated in the inaugural ceremony.

The opening set the stage for a series of events that will continue through the 11 days of Dasara.

The programme includes a flower show, citywide illumination, the Dasara sports meet, cultural programmes against the backdrop of the illuminated Mysuru palace, a food festival, a book fair and traditional wrestling bouts.

Together, these events reflect the festival’s celebration of Mysuru’s cultural heritage and royal traditions.

For the first time, more than 200 seers and religious heads attended the inaugural event.

In his inaugural address, the seer said Dasara had once been a royal festival but had evolved into a celebration of the people and the land.

He said he did not consider himself good enough to inaugurate Dasara and had instead come to the abode of Goddess Chamundeshwari with a prayer.

He prayed that the lamp lit by great personalities in the past should continue to burn.

Message on values and social harmony

The seer said he had come to pray for good rains, a good harvest and the happiness of the people.

Describing Dasara as a confluence of the past, the present and the future, he said society should be built on values and ethics rather than caste.

“Loving another human being as a human being is humanity,” he said.

He recalled Basavanna’s 12th-century message of “Kayakave Kailasa”, or work is worship.

The address connected the traditional festival with questions of social conduct, human dignity and the values that should guide society.

Agriculture and water conservation

Recalling the contribution of the Mysuru royal family to the development of the region, the seer said the Dasara tradition could not be separated from the history of the Wadiyar dynasty.

He also used the occasion to emphasise the importance of agriculture.

The seer said technology might make it possible to download almost everything, but it could never download food.

“However advanced technology may become, we cannot download rice and sambar. We depend on the crops grown by farmers,” he said.

He called for greater priority to agriculture and the conservation of natural resources.

He urged the government and the public to protect rivers such as the Cauvery, the Krishna and the Tungabhadra.

“We can import many things, but we cannot import water,” he said.

Appeal to support schools

The seer also recalled educationist Harekal Hajabba’s contribution.

Hajabba used his earnings from selling fruits to build a school, and the seer urged people to support the development of schools in their respective villages.

He said people from Karnataka who had settled overseas could contribute to building laboratories and libraries in schools.

According to him, such contributions would help people give back to their homeland and support the development of the State.

“If all 6 crore people in the State pledge to work for development, it will mean 6 crore steps in the right direction,” he said.

Source: The Hindu