Dasara Daasothsava introduced during Mysuru Dasara in 2018 has given an impetus to Daasa Sahitya and nearly 1000 women have given performance at Sri Chamundeshwari temple since its inception.
This year Dasara Daasothsava was held from October 15 to 20 and the temple authorities gave a 3-hour slot for various bhajan mandals to render their performance on each day of the event.
Rashmi Rao, who conceptualised the event said Dasara celebration generally includes various cultural and religious programs highlighting the dance, music, and folk culture of the State and are performed in front of the palace and at other designated places of the city.
‘’As Dasara is about victory of good over evil symbolised by the victory of goddess Chamundeshwari or Durga over the demon Mahishasura, we thought of offering Devaranamas and Daasarapadas as sangeetha seva samarpane to Goddess Chamundeshwari,” said Ms. Rao.
‘’The literature that originated from the devotional movement in the early 13 to 14 centuries is called Daasa Sahitya and the compositions Daasara padagalu educates the common people about the importance of consciousness (jnana), devotion (bhakti), ethics etc,” she added
Purandaradasa, reckoned to be the Pitamaha of Carnatic music, Kanakadasa, Jagannathadasa, Vijayadasa, and many others played an important role in composing and rendering their verses and thus made a significant contribution towards Kannada and devotional literature, according to Ms. Rashmi Rao.
The main objective of Dasara Daasothsava was to give tribute to the composers, to render devotional hymns on the auspicious occasion of Navaratri and to create a platform for daasarapadagalu, which, she said currently receives less exposure and importance.
The platform provided an opportunity to mid-level artists and housewives of every age to showcase their talent and Daasa Sahithya is alive mainly because of the bhajan groups constituting housewives who keep practicing the compositions and render then during aaradhanes, festivals etc, said Ms. Rashmi Rao.
