Preparing:Police personnel taking part in a rehearsal for the Jamboo Savari, in Mysore on Saturday.

Mysore, October 13, 2013: All roads lead to Mysore as the city gets ready for the famed Jamboo Savari on Monday. The grand finale marks Vijayadashmi which signifies the victory of good over evil.

Rehearsal for the procession sans any decorations or paraphernalia was conducted on Saturday with police personnel and the Dasara elephants.

With more than 40 tableaux and around 100 folk troupes slated to participate in the procession, one can expect a riot of colours and a slice of the State’s cultural diversity on display. Arjuna, carrying the 750-kg golden howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, will bring up the rear.

Though officially the Torchlight Parade at Bannimantap Ground is the final programme of Mysore Dasara, it is the Jamboo Savari with the caparisoned elephants and cultural troupes that hogs the limelight. The Navaratri and private Dasara celebrations of the Wadiyars will also come to a close at the Mysore palace on Monday.

The nearly two-hour procession will commence at the palace at around 1.55 p.m., go via Chamaraja Circle, Albert Victor Road, K.R. Circle, Sayyaji Rao Road and conclude at Bannimantap Ground late in the evening.

The procession will be a throwback to the past, evoking the grand images described by Persian and Portuguese travellers who visited the kingdom of Vijayanagara.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will perform the customary Nandi Dhwaja puja at 1.12 p.m. and the Jamboo Savari will be flagged off at 1.55 p.m.

The Torchlight Parade will be inaugurated by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj at the Bannimantap Ground at 7 p.m. and he will receive the guard of honour.

Source: The Hindu, October 13, 2013