COVID-19 warriors initiated Dasara celebrations in the historical town of Srirangapatna on Friday. This year, the celebrations were scaled down owing to the pandemic.
Flowers were showered on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari seated on a chariot adorned with flowers to kickstart the festivities. Minister in-charge of Mandya district Narayana Gowda, Srirangapatna MLA Ravindra Srikantaiah, Deputy Commissioner M. Venkatesh and others were present during the inauguration.
The procession with the idol was taken out from Kirangur Bannimantap to Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in the town. Usually, the idol placed in a replica of ‘ambari’ is carried on an elephant in the main streets of the town as part of the Dasara procession. The procession was a simple affair this time in view of precautions taken over the pandemic. Only a few cultural troupes were allowed to participate.
After the procession, a cultural programme was organised at Sultan Battery in the town. Singers Raghu Dixit and Kannada music composer Guru Kiran performed.
As the event was organised at the Battery, people from nearby areas watched from their balconies as the entire area was illuminated. In view of restrictions on public gatherings, the administration proposed to hold the event at this site to ensure people do not miss out and precautions are in place.
