Mysuru (Karnataka), Sep 22 (PTI) Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family on Tuesday expressed reservations on the proposal to organise Kambala, the baffalo race event, during Dasara, saying it holds its own significance in the Dakshina Kannada region.
The Karnataka government has planned to celebrate this year’s Mysuru Dasara grandly over 11 days, with several new programmes reflecting the state’s diverse cultural traditions.
Responding to reporters’ queries regarding the inclusion of Kambala during Dasara, she said that Kambala has its own importance in the Dakshina Kannada region, especially Mangaluru.
“We ought to question whether it was necessary to include it in Dasara. This is my personal opinion,” she said.
Noting that the government was trying to introduce something new, Wadiyar said Kambala could have been held at a different time on a separate occasion giving it the importance it deserves.
“If it had been celebrated specifically as a Kambala celebration at a different time, it would have garnered greater significance then. However, hosting it during Dasara doesn’t make it particularly special,” she said.
Several organisations and leaders, such as Mysuru royal family scion and BJP MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and the party’s state president B Y Vijayendra, have opposed the proposal, arguing that Kambala is incompatible with the heritage, cultural identity and religious significance of the Dasara festival.
According to the schedule, the Dasara inauguration is set for October 11. The world famous ‘Jamboo Savari’ — a procession of about a dozen caparisoned elephants carrying the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru and its royals, on a 750-kg howdah or ‘Ambari’ covered with gold, will take place on October 21.
(PTI News)
