Mysuru (Mysore) Dasara, also pronounced and spelled as Dussehra, has perhaps been celebrated since the 14th or 15th century by the kings of the Vijayanagara Empire. Although there isn't much available on when the festival began, this year marks the 414th anniversary of Mysuru's Dasara. Celebrated with pomp and pageantry, Mysuru Dasara is the "Nadahabba," that means the state festival of Karnataka. Dussehra celebrates the victory of good over evil.
After the fall of Vijayanagara, the empire disintegrated in 1565, leading to the rise of independent kingdoms. However, the Dasara traditions of Vijayanagara were carried on by the ruling chieftains of these kingdoms.
The Wadiyars, who came to power around 1399 AD, initially controlled a limited geographical territory as vassals of the Vijayanagara rulers. Eventually, they established a kingdom in the southern part of the former Vijayanagara Empire and ruled the princely state of Mysore. They revived the Dasara celebrations, following many of the rituals observed by the Vijayanagara rulers. It is reported that Raja Wadiyar, who ruled in the early 17th century, was responsible for this revival.
According to a report published in Deccan Herald in 2019, “In 1610, it was celebrated at Srirangapatna to showcase his might against his former vassal chiefs of Vijayanagara. He codified the system of celebration. The Dasara celebrated for the first time at Srirangapatna was more culturally rich than that celebrated at Vijayanagara. It’s this Dasara we celebrate today.” At that time Srirangapatna was the capital of Mysore.
Chikka Devaraja Wadiyar (1645–1704) gave prominence to Dasara celebrations, as he held political influence with the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. However, when Hyder Ali usurped the throne of Mysore and became the ruler in 1761, the Dasara celebrations became a private affair for the Wadiyars. His rule was followed by his son, Tipu Sultan.
Maharani Lakshmammanni is credited with restoring the lost glory of Dasara. After Tipu Sultan’s fall in 1799, five-year-old Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar III ascended the throne as Maharaja of Mysore State, with the state being ruled under the regency of Maharani Lakshmammanni. According to N. Nanjunderaje Urs, a writer, scholar, and historian, in an article published in Deccan Herald, “It would have been just a couple of months after the coronation of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar that Dasara, a combination of Navaratri and Vijayadashami, began to be celebrated in Mysore city.”
"Lakshmammanni had witnessed the celebration of Dasara when Maharaja Immadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar officiated it. During the reigns of Nanjaraja Wadiyar (1766–1770), Bettada Chamaraja Wadiyar VIII (1770–1776), and Khasa Chamaraja Wadiyar IX (1776–1796), Dasara was either not celebrated or observed merely as a ritual. Lakshmammanni, therefore, sought to revive the tradition initiated by Raja Wadiyar I in 1610," he said.
The Sri Manmaharajaravara Vamshavali, a book published by the Wadiyars, provides details of the ceremony. The Maharaja is given a holy bath, followed by being dressed in a “deeksha vastra". He wears the “kankana” (a holy thread around the wrist) before the idol of Chamundeshwari at the temporary palace in Nazarbad, outside Mysore Fort. Then the Maharaja wears a royal attire and proceeds to the Mysore Palace, which, though in shambles, had been temporarily arranged for the royal court proceedings and puja inside the fort. He arrives on a palanquin, accompanied by soldiers and other attendants, and offers puja to the Rathnasimhasana (gem-studded throne), bowing before it. He receives the seal of shikasara and the pattada (royal) sword, and ascends the throne, at which point a 21-round cannon salute is fired.