This is not the first time Jamboo Savari in Mysuru has been limited to the palace premises. There have been past instances of the Vijayadashami procession being confined to the Amba Vilas Palace.
When pneumonic plague struck parts of Surat in Gujarat in 1994, the Karnataka government led by the then Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily resolved to scale down the procession, confining it to the palace premises. The decision was taken as a preventive measure to contain the spread of plague since the procession on the Dasara finale used to attract thousands of people from various parts of the country.
Eight years later, in 2002, the Jamboo Savari was again restricted to the palace in the wake of severe drought besides former Minister H. Nagappa’s kidnap by forest brigand Veerappan. The then Chief Minister S.M. Krishna decided to keep Dasara procession simple since his government was facing many issues with the State in the grip of successive droughts.
In both the years, the decision on holding the procession within the palace was taken when the entire Dasara jumbo squad had already arrived in Mysuru and was undergoing training. Elephants for this year’s festivities are yet to arrive as the forest authorities were awaiting the outcome of Tuesday’s Dasara High Power Committee meeting.
Senior forest veterinarian Nagaraj said that only three elephants – the lead elephant and its companions or Kumkhi elephants – will be part of Jamboo Savari unlike the past. The other two elephants out of five would, however, be used in the rituals of the Wadiyar family in the palace, he said.
