Mysuru Dasara emblem MysuruDasaraSince 1610 AD
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Ritual & tradition

Nine nights at the Palace

Behind the public festival runs a private one. Inside the Amba Vilas Palace the Wadiyar family keeps the Navaratri rituals their ancestors kept — the golden throne, the Durbar, the worship of weapons on the ninth day.

11 – 21 OctoberAmba Vilas PalaceEvenings
Amba Vilas Palace floodlit against the night
Amba Vilas Palace floodlit against the night
The <em>Ratna Simhasana</em>
The golden throne

The Ratna Simhasana

Nine days before Navaratri the jewelled throne — of fig wood, plated with gold and studded with precious stones — is assembled in the Durbar Hall. It is seen by the public only during these ten days. On the first night the scion of the family ascends it, and the Durbar begins.

  • Assembled only for Navaratri
  • Seen from the Durbar Hall galleries
  • Removed after Vijayadashami
Khas Durbar, <em>every evening</em>
The private Durbar

Khas Durbar, every evening

Each night of Navaratri the family holds court in the Durbar Hall — a ceremony of music, ritual offerings and the presentation of the royal sword, unchanged in form for two centuries. Palace visitors with an evening ticket may watch from the galleries.

  • Nightly through Navaratri
  • Palace band and Carnatic recital
  • Evening tickets at the Palace counters
<em>Ayudha Puja</em>
The ninth day

Ayudha Puja

On Mahanavami the instruments of work and war are worshipped — the palace weapons, the royal elephants and horses, and by extension every tool, vehicle and machine in the city. Mysuru’s shopfronts and buses are garlanded with banana leaves and marigold for the day.

  • 20 October 2026 — Mahanavami, Mahagauri
  • Ayudha puja, Gaja-Ashva-adi puja, Hayagriva puja and Amaladevata puja at the Palace
<em>Vijayadashami</em>
The tenth day

Vijayadashami

The day of victory. After the Shami and Aparajita Devi pujas, the goddess Chamundeshwari is placed in the golden howdah on the lead elephant and carried from the Palace to Bannimantap — the Jumboo Savari. The private Durbar ends; the public one, in a sense, begins.

  • Nandi Dhwaja puja by the Chief Minister, 1:36 – 1:56 PM (Makara lagna)
  • Pushparchane at the golden howdah, 4:10 – 4:35 PM (Meena lagna)
  • Then the Jumboo Savari leaves for Bannimantap
The Palace calendar

Sharannavaratri 2026

The Palace panchanga sets the nine nights from Sunday 11 October (Prathama — Shailaputri; the Chamundeshwari puja on the hill at the 11:50 AM muhurta opens the festival) to Wednesday 21 October, Vijayadashami. Each day honours one form of the goddess; Saraswati puja falls on 16 October, Mahishasura samhara on 17 October, Ayudha puja and the Gaja-Ashva puja on Mahanavami, 20 October, and on Vijayadashami the Nandi Dhwaja puja by the Chief Minister at 1:36 PM and the Pushparchane at 4:10 PM send the Jumboo Savari on its way. The Chamundeshwari Rathotsava on the hill follows on 24 October.

Know before you go

Visiting during Navaratri

Can the public see the Durbar?
Yes — the Palace sells evening tickets during Navaratri that admit visitors to the Durbar Hall galleries. Numbers are limited and the queue forms early.
Is the Palace open in the day?
The Palace keeps its usual daytime hours through the festival, though the Durbar Hall is closed for preparation on some afternoons.
What should I wear?
Modest dress is expected in the Durbar Hall. Footwear is removed at the entrance.
Is photography allowed?
Not inside the Durbar Hall during the ceremony. The illuminated exterior from 7 PM is photographed freely.
See alsoEvening illuminationFull schedule
DASARA 2026
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