Mysore scion worships weapons on Dasara fest

Mysore: As part of the Dasara (Dussehra) festival, Mysore royal family scion Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Tuesday worshipped weapons and treasures of the 700-year-old dynasty at the palace in this heritage city.

"The scion conducted rituals in the hoary tradition with flowers, fruits and ash gourds and worshipped various weapons, including swords in different sizes, arms, ammunition and artillery that were part of the royal armoury over the centuries," a palace spokesman told reporters here. Earlier in the day, the royal family members joined the 59-year-old scion in the palace courtyard to perform other rituals associated with the ninth day (navami) of the fest and went in a procession to the goddess Bhuveneshwari temple within the palace compound with the weapons carried in a golden palanquin by the royal staff. Besides weapons and treasures, the palace elephants, horses and cattle were decked up for the occasion and dedicated to the royal family`s presiding deity goddess Chamundeshwari amidst chanting of Vedic hymns by Hindu priests and temple bells. "In the tradition of his forefathers over the generations, the scion gave audience to the public in the private durbar, which was thrown open to commemorate the 10-day festivities. Many people also had free lunch in the palace and carried the famous Mysorepak sweet distributed as `prasadam` (sanctified dish) to their homes," the spokesman said. Thousands of people thronged the majestic and illuminated palace in the city centre to witness the royal festivities ahead of the finale Wednesday when victory of triumph over evil will be celebrated on the 10th day (Vijayadashami) of Dasara (Dussehra) with a grand procession of caparisoned elephants, cavalry and foot soldiers from the northern gate of the palace to Bannimantap grounds, about 10 km away across the cultural city. IANS