Bengaluru, Oct 26 (PTI) With the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru expressing displeasure over the conduct of the landmark Mysuru Dussehra celebrations, Karnataka minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Monday said while the Palace Board and the palace land belong to the government, due respect was being shown to the royals.
He was responding to a letter by Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family expressing displeasure over the conduct of the recent Dussehra celebrations.
Yathindra, minister for Urban Development, said the royal family had been allotted a portion of the palace for residence and that the government paid for using the Ambari (golden howdah) during the Jamboo Savari procession.
He said the government remained in regular contact with the royal family and was ready to address its grievances.
“The Palace Board and the land belong to the government. Even so, we continue to extend due respect to the royal family and seek its cooperation in conducting Dussehra,” he said.
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar had in a lengthy letter expressed deep disappointment over the conduct of Dussehra 2026, alleging poor coordination among government departments and repeated interference with the family’s religious rituals, and proposed shifting the Sri Chamundeshwari Ammanavaru’s Ambari procession to the day of the hill’s Rathotsava (car festival).
She said recurring problems involving police personnel, security arrangements and access to the palace had made it difficult to conduct the family’s customary ceremonies smoothly. She expressed deep disappointment with the way Dussehra 2026 was conducted by officials of the various government departments, “who lacked basic coordination between them”.
Yathindra said the government would examine the complaints and issue an official response. Its representatives would either meet her to discuss the issues or send a formal reply, he said.
“If they have any grievances, they can bring them directly to the government’s notice, and we are prepared to address them,” he said, adding that the royal family could have conveyed its concerns directly to the government.
He said the government had personally visited the royal family during Dussehra, formally invited its members to the celebrations and sought their cooperation. The government had also asked whether they needed any assistance, he added.
On the selection of the lead elephant, Yathindra said the Forest Department had taken time to decide between Mahendra and Dhananjaya. Mahendra had earlier been unable to complete the Ambari procession and had stopped midway, he said, adding that the decision and communication had consequently been delayed.
He said Dussehra involved religious rituals performed by the royal family and that the government had a responsibility to facilitate them.
Meanwhile, deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said CM D K Shivakumar had followed established traditions and there was no reason for Pramoda Devi to feel upset. If she had been hurt, the government was willing to meet her and resolve the matter, he said.
“If she has been hurt in any way, we will personally meet her and resolve the matter,” Parameshwara said.
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, however, accused the Congress government and the chief minister of violating Dussehra traditions in pursuit of publicity and popularity.
The Shikaripura MLA criticised Shivakumar for inviting chief ministers from other states and taking his wife along to be seated on the Ambari during the procession, claiming the move had drawn criticism on social media.
Vijayendra also linked what he described as a competition for popularity between the then CM Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who was his then deputy, to the fatal Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede last year. He alleged that the government’s focus on publicity had come at the cost of Karnataka’s culture and traditions.
(PTI News)
