Dasara festivities begin in Mysuru
Bengaluru: The famous 10-day long Dasara festivities commenced in the palace city of Mysuru on Sunday, amid festive and religious fervor.
Celebrated as 'Nada Habba' (state festival), the festivities began with prominent writer S L Bhyrappa and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa showering flowers on the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru royals, atop Chamundi Hill.
In the Mysuru palace, the Navaratri celebrations kicked off with Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of Mysuru royal family, dressed in grand attire, conducting Khasagi durbar (private durbar) by ascending the golden throne, amid chanting vedic hymns.
This was preceded and followed by traditional rituals. His courtiers too were decked in traditional outfits.
Several literary and cultural events, along with exhibition, film show, flower show, food mela and sports activities have been organised by the state government as part of the 10-day-long festivities.
The royal palace and several parts of Mysuru city were illuminated with thousands of bulbs glowing all through the festival.
The celebrations culminate with the 'Jumbo Sawari' or procession of well decorated elephants carrying the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed in a golden Howdah on Vijayadashmi or the 10th day of the festival, along with display of various tableaux and cultural groups.
Dasara was celebrated by the rulers of the Vijayanagar empire and the tradition was inherited by the Wadiyars. Festivities were first started in Mysuru by the Wadiyar King, Raja Wadiyar I in the year 1610.
However, with the abolition of the institution of the kings and the announcement of privy purse, the state government took over the mantle of celebrating Dasara.
The state government had decided to release Rs 20.50 crore to organise the world famous Mysuru dasara festival between September 29 and October 8, at a high-level committee meeting on the preparations for the festival that had met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.
Meanwhile, the Mangaluru Dasara and Navaratri utsav was inaugurated at the Kudroli Gokarnanatheshwara temple here. Dasara celebrations in the coastal city have earned fame over the years.
Various rituals and cultural programmes will be held at the temple as part of the celebrations. For the first time in Mangaluru Dasara, the procession will be led by a truck carrying Sharada idol followed by other tableaus.
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Bridge portion collapses on Jammu outskirts; 3-4 labourers feared trapped, 1 rescued
Jammu (PTI): A portion of a small bridge collapsed in the Bantalab area on the outskirts of Jammu city on Friday, trapping at least three to four labourers under the debris, while one injured worker was rescued, official sources said.
Authorities have closed the road link following the collapse of the portion of the bridge.
The incident occurred when labourers were carrying out repair work on a retaining wall near the bridge that was damaged in last year's flash floods, the sources said.
According to the sources, a section of the bridge suddenly gave way, burying workers engaged at the site under the rubble.
Police, Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams launched rescue operations to extricate those buried under the debris. They pulled out one injured labourer and shifted him to a hospital, the sources said.
Family members of the labourers present at the site said around six workers engaged at the site at the time of the incident came under the debris when the structure collapsed. The family members said while two of the labourers managed to escape, four got trapped.
The sources said those trapped included the husband of a woman labourer, a mason, an unmarried labourer and a relative of the contractor.
There was no official confirmation on the exact number of persons trapped under the debris till the filing of this report.
The rescue operations are ongoing.
