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Mysuru (PTI): The city of palaces is set for a spectacular Vijayadashami procession on Thursday, marking the grand finale of the 11-day iconic ‘Mysuru Dasara’ celebrations.

Celebrated as ‘Nada Habba’ (state festival), the Dasara or ‘Sharana Navaratri’ festivities this year have been a grand affair, showcasing Karnataka’s rich culture and traditions in royal pomp and glory.

Thousands of people are expected to witness the ‘Jamboo Savari’—a march of a dozen caparisoned elephants led by ‘Abhimanyu’, carrying the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru, on a 750-kg golden howdah or 'Ambari'.

The grand procession will begin with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah offering pooja to the Nandi flag between 1 pm and 1.18 pm during the auspicious “Dhanur Lagna” at the Balarama Gate of the majestic Amba Vilas Palace.

The procession, comprising cultural groups and tableaux from various districts depicting Karnataka’s heritage, will cover about five kilometres before culminating at Bannimantapa. Tableaux from government departments showcasing schemes, programmes and social messages will also be there. Large crowds are expected along the route hours before it begins.

The chief minister and dignitaries, including scion of erstwhile Mysuru royals, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, will flag off the procession by showering flowers on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari during the auspicious 'Kumbha Lagna' between 4.42 pm and 5.06 pm.

Twenty-one cannon shots will mark the arrival of Abhimanyu, flanked by ‘Kumki’ elephants, and dignitaries will offer flowers from a specially set-up dais.

The Dasara procession on Vijayadashami symbolises the victory of good over evil. Historically, the king rode in the howdah, accompanied by his brother and nephew, with Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar being the last royal king of Mysuru to do so. Today, the tradition continues with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari carried in the 750-kg howdah — a wooden core covered with 80 kg of gold.

Police have made elaborate security and crowd management arrangements for the event, officials said.

At the palace, keeping tradition alive, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, dressed in regal attire, will lead the ‘Vijaya Yatra’ from Amba Vilas Palace to the Bhuvaneshwari Devi temple within the premises, where he will perform a special pooja to the ‘Shami’ tree on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Wadiyar performed the 'Ayudha Pooja' a ritual honouring the erstwhile royal family’s weapons, vehicles, and animals, including elephants, horses, and cows.

As part of the celebrations, the ‘Vajramushti Kalaga’ — a duel between wrestlers (‘Jetties’) armed with a knuckle-duster (‘Vajramushti’) — will be held at the palace, with participants from across the state.

During the ten days of Dasara, the palace, major streets, circles, and buildings of Mysuru were adorned with lights and this celebration of lights is called 'Deepalankaara'. Cultural programmes were held at various venues, alongside events such as the food mela, flower show, farmers’ Dasara, women’s Dasara, Yuva Dasara, children’s Dasara, and poetry recitals.

The Dasara airshow on Wednesday drew large crowds, while the torchlight parade at Bannimantap grounds on Thursday evening will see Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot as the chief guest.

The Navaratri celebrations at the palace included daily rituals, with Wadiyar conducting the ‘Khasagi Durbar’ (private durbar) seated on the golden throne amid chanting of Vedic hymns.

Dasara, celebrated by the Vijayanagar rulers, was inherited by the Wadiyars of Mysuru. Initiated in Mysuru by Raja Wadiyar I in 1610, it became a private affair after the abolition of the privy purse in 1971. The tradition continued as a low-key event until the state government revived grand Dasara celebrations in 1975 when D Devaraj Urs was the chief minister.

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New Delhi: A Noida-based private University, Galgotias has come under severe criticism after allegedly showcasing a china-made robotic dog at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.

Social media users accused the university of purchasing a commercial robot from China and presenting it as its own creation at the summit.

Reports claimed that the university showcased the Unitree Go2 robotic dog, an AI-powered device available on Chinese platforms for Rs 2–3 lakh, under the name “Orion” during the event in New Delhi.

“So Galgotia university purchased a commercially available robot worth Rs 2.5 lakhs, called it their own and passed it off in the Delhi AI Summit as a part of their 350 crore AI ecosystem..I literally have no words left,” wrote ‘X’ user Roshan Rai, sharing a video in which a DD News reporter interviewed a university official about the robotic dog.

The viral post claimed that the robot closely resembles Unitree Go2, a quadruped robotic dog developed by Chinese company Unitree Robotics.

Screenshots attached to the post compared the robot displayed at the summit with the Unitree Go2 listing, priced at roughly 2,800 dollars (around Rs 2.3–2.5 lakhs).

According Unitree Robotics, The Unitree Go2 is widely used as a programmable quadruped robot for research, education, inspection, and development purposes, and is a common learning platform in universities and robotics labs worldwide.

Several users reiterated the claim.

Government of India funds for filing patents

Meanwhile, concerns were raised about alleged misuse of government funds.

User @sky_phd highlighted, “Galgotias University is once again in the spotlight. Under the guise of research and innovation, they are raking in plenty of money.”

The user claimed that the university took money under government funds, and wrote, “The Government of India provides incentive funding of up to five lakh rupees for filing patents.”

“To understand the patent filing process and the games being played with it, take a look at the list of top Indian institutions filing patents. All the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) together file only 803 patents, while institutions like Lovely Professional University, Jain Deemed-to-be University, Galgotias University, and Teerthanker Mahaveer University have filed more than a thousand patents each,” the user wrote, sharing a chart of patent filings by these universities.

“The basic international patent filing fee is $285–400. Through patent filings alone, these institutions are reportedly earning more than fifty crore rupees annually. However, while these universities file patents, they often do not pursue them further, and most patents ultimately do not get granted. This inflates filing numbers but does not reflect real innovation or recognized intellectual property,” the user added.

Another user pointed out about the selection criteria of the summit. The user questioned, “What exactly was the selection criteria for participation in this AI summit? .”

“Platforms meant to showcase India’s innovation should represent genuine research, original ideas, and credible institutions. So how did Galgotias University qualify to display a Chinese-made robot and present it as its own “innovation”? If true, this isn’t just embarrassing, it undermines the credibility of the entire summit and of India’s growing tech ecosystem. At a time when India is trying to position itself as a global AI and deep-tech leader, showcasing repackaged imports as indigenous innovation only damages trust. If we want the world to take India’s AI ambitions seriously, transparency and authenticity must come first,” the user added.

 

University clarifies after backlash

In response to the criticism, Galgotias University issued a clarification, stating that it “never claimed to have built the device” and that the robot was procured from a Chinese manufacturer for academic purposes.

“Let us be clear, Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we claimed to do so. What we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies in Bharat," the university said.

The university in its statement also pointed out that the Unitree Go2 is being used as a learning tool for students.

“From the US to China and Singapore, we bring advanced technologies to campus because exposure creates vision, and vision creates creators. The robodog is actively being used by students to test capabilities and explore real-world applications,” the university added.

University professor claims “it's developed by the Center of Excellence at the Galgotias University.”

In another video captured by DD News, a reporter showcased the Galgotias University pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

At the pavilion, the reporter spoke with the university professor about the technology on display.

The professor introduced the robot, saying, “This is Orion. You need to meet Orion. It has been developed by the Center of Excellence at Galgotias University.”

She added, “I would also like to brief you about Galgotias University. We are the first private university investing more than Rs 350 crore in artificial intelligence and have a dedicated data science and AI lab on campus.”

“Orion has been developed by our Center of Excellence. It can take all shapes and sizes and is quite playful. It can perform small tasks such as surveillance and monitoring. It can even execute movements like moonwalks and somersaults,” she explained.

She also claimed that, “This is India’s first iOS lab in North India at a university, giving our students hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology.”

Reacting to the video social media users ridiculed the 350 cr rupees investment compared to the china made robo dog.

Past Controversies of the University

This is not the first time the university is in controversy. In May 2024, during the Lok Sabha elections, a video went viral showing students protesting outside the Congress headquarters in New Delhi against the party’s manifesto. The footage, captured by Aaj Tak, showed students struggling to articulate the purpose of their protest, raising questions about the demonstration’s intent.

Earlier, in 2017, students protested against the university management after being barred from appearing in exams due to low attendance, with allegations that fines were requested to allow attendance, a claim denied by the administration.

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