Koppal Gavimath Seer to Open Mysuru Dasara Festivities on October 11

Koppal Gavimath pontiff Sri Abhinava Gavisiddeshwara Mahaswamiji will inaugurate the 2026 Mysuru Dasara celebrations on October 11, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, bringing a prominent spiritual and social figure from North Karnataka to the centre of Karnataka’s biggest annual cultural festival. The seer has accepted the State Government’s invitation, with the inauguration scheduled at the Chamundeshwari Temple on Chamundi Hill.

Shivakumar said he spoke to the seer over the phone and personally extended the invitation, while also urging members of both Houses of the Karnataka Legislature to attend the celebrations. The official programme places the inauguration between 11.50 am and 12.13 pm on October 11, during the prescribed Dhanur lagna, with the Chamundeshwari puja formally marking the opening of the festival.

The selection of Abhinava Gavisiddeshwara Mahaswamiji, the 18th pontiff of Koppal Gavimath since 2002, adds a social-service dimension to this year’s inauguration. He has been associated with education and social welfare, while his Jala Deekshe campaign has focused on water conservation, including the revival and desilting of lakes in water-stressed areas of North Karnataka.

The inauguration carries significance against the long history of Mysuru Dasara. Its roots are traced to the Vijayanagara Empire’s Mahanavami celebrations, while the Wadiyar tradition dates to 1610, when Raja Wadiyar I celebrated Dasara at Srirangapatna. After the Wadiyars returned to power in 1799, the festival became increasingly associated with Mysuru. Krishnaraja Wadiyar III introduced the royal durbar tradition in 1805, while the Dasara Exhibition began in 1880.

Following the end of princely rule, the Karnataka Government took over the festival in the 1970s, transforming it into the State’s “Nada Habba” while retaining its religious and cultural traditions. The Golden Howdah procession also evolved, with Goddess Chamundeshwari becoming its central figure instead of the Maharaja.

The October 11-21 celebrations will feature more than 100 programmes, including cultural events, sports, food and flower festivals, Raitha Dasara, Kambala on October 18-19 and the Dasara Exhibition. The festival will culminate in the Jamboo Savari on October 21, followed by the traditional Torchlight Parade and drone show.

The Karnataka Government’s High Power Committee, chaired by the Chief Minister, oversees the celebrations, with the Mysuru district administration executing them through 18 specialised sub-committees, underscoring Dasara’s evolution from a royal celebration into one of Karnataka’s largest state-sponsored cultural events.