Mysuru: More than 50 people took part in a Heritage Walk organised in Mysuru as part of Dasara on Thursday, exploring some of the city’s historic buildings and landmarks.
The walk was organised by the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, in association with the Tourism Department.
Film director B. Suresh flagged off the event at Town Hall, setting the participants off on a tour of the city’s architectural and cultural heritage. The route covered K.R. Hospital, Town Hall, Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple, the Big Clock Tower, K.R. Circle, Sir M. Visvesvaraya Building, Devaraja Market, Cauvery Emporium, the old DC’s Office and Crawford Hall.
Addressing the gathering, Suresh said, Mysuru was not just a city of Palaces but a town steeped in tradition. Preserving its historic buildings and cultural heritage was everyone’s responsibility, he said.
Recalling the city’s origins, he said Mysuru was once known as Irumae Ooru, meaning the village of buffaloes, before evolving into Mahishapura and eventually Mysuru. He noted that Dewan Sheshadri Iyer began construction of Rangacharlu Purabhavana in 1884 and said, the building had stood the test of time for more than a century. He also recalled performing a play in front of the building during the World Kannada Conference in 1985.
Heritage Department Commissioner A. Devaraju (now transferred to Bengaluru with a new posting in Urban Development Department) said, Mysuru had identified more than 129 heritage buildings, each with its own architectural style, historical background and cultural significance.
Prof. Shalvapille Iyengar, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology at KSOU, said revisiting history was important to avoid repeating past mistakes. Preserving heritage was also a fundamental duty enshrined in the Constitution, he said.
The programme also featured a doll exhibition and a ‘Selfie with Heritage Building’ photo contest.
Gajalaxmi Nagaraj, Geeta Srihari and Saraswati Kiran won first, second and third prizes, respectively, in the doll exhibition. In the selfie contest, Meena Krishnakumar won first place, followed by Anudit and Purushottam Chakravarthy.
Deputy Director of Archaeology Dr. C.N. Manjula, conservation engineers T. Tarakesh and K.P. Gurumallappa, retired professor N.S. Rangaraju, lecturer L.N. Swamy, students from Teresian JSS Women’s College and Mahajana College attended the programme.
