Mysuru Dasara opens October 11 after tusker Mahendra halts howdah rehearsal

The 2026 Mysuru Dasara, Karnataka's state festival or Nada Habba, opens on Sunday, October 11, 2026, with a ceremony at the Chamundeshwari Temple on Chamundi Hill. Koppal's Gavimath seer, Sri Abhinava Gavisiddeshwara Mahaswamiji, has accepted the state's invitation to inaugurate it. The final days of preparation were marked by an unusual scene on the evening of Thursday, October 8, when Mahendra, one of the elephants training for the Jamboo Savari procession, stopped near Ayurveda Circle in Mysuru while carrying a wooden practice howdah and would not move on. Officials removed the howdah, called off that day's rehearsal and sent the elephants back to the palace. The procession itself is set for Wednesday, October 21.

The Mysuru Dasara is one of India's best-known Navratri celebrations. Rooted in the royal traditions of Mysore, it is now organised by the Karnataka government as the state's own festival. It begins with a puja to Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of the city, on the hill that bears her name, and it ends on Vijayadashami with the Jamboo Savari, when a caparisoned elephant carries the idol of the goddess in the golden howdah through the city.

The elephants are the heart of that procession, and their preparation takes weeks. Tuskers brought in from forest camps are welcomed with a Gaja Puja and then walk the procession route day after day, first without load and later with added weight and a wooden howdah. The training builds their strength and accustoms them to crowds and noise. What happened with Mahendra shows why this practice matters: officials can spot discomfort or stress long before the big day, when lakhs of people line the route.

The choice of a religious head to open the festival also signals a turn in tone. In recent years the inaugural honour has gone to writers and public figures, and the opening speeches have at times drawn political debate. A seer's presence at the temple puja places the spiritual root of the festival at the centre this year.

The festival also opens on the same day as Sharad Navratri across much of India, so Mysuru's ten days form part of a wider season of Durga worship, Ramlila and Garba that runs up to Vijayadashami.

Short-term: Visitors and residents can expect heavy crowds and traffic changes in central Mysuru, around the palace and on Chamundi Hill, from the opening day onward. The elephant rehearsals on the royal route continue in the run-up to the procession.

Long-term: Careful handling of the Dasara elephants, and a willingness to stop a rehearsal when an animal shows distress, are central to keeping a centuries-old tradition humane and sustainable.

Who is affected: Devotees, tourists planning trips to Mysuru, local traders and hotels, forest department staff and mahouts who care for the elephants, and the elephants themselves.

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