The Dasara tradition traces back to Raja Wadiyar who, following the pomp and pageantry of the Vijayanagar rulers, started the Dasara celebrations in 1610 at Srirangapatna. Continuing this legacy today is Rajamata Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, who is a part of the celebrations since 41 years. Sitting on the sofa next to the one where her husband's framed photograph is kept, with the late Wadiyar in smartly attired suit in a reflective mood, in the inner hall of the Mysore Palace surrounded by walls of books that had titles ranging from nature, music, garden, Geography of Strabo, Myths and Legends of China, Homer, Shakespeare and huge Webster New International dictionaries, a relaxed looking Pramoda Devi reminisced about the 41 years of Dasara that she has been a part of. “I was married into the Wadiyar family in 1976. In the beginning my mother-in-law used to guide me and my husband the late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar followed all the rituals associated with it having learnt everything from his father Jayachamaraja Wadiyar,” said Pramoda Devi, speaking to Star of Mysore on the eve of commencement of Navaratri.
By N. Niranjan Nikam
