Mysuru, (DHNS): It was a mini-Jamboo Savari of sorts with hundreds of artistes performing and moving along with Dasara elephants, on the Jamboo Savari procession route from the Mysuru Palace in the city on Sunday. The only miss was the Golden Howdah.

However, the full-fledged Jamboo Savari procession, with elephant Arjuna carrying Golden Howdah, will be held on October 19.

For the first time in the history of Mysuru Dasara, the district administration came up with a plan to organise ‘cultural procession’ and ‘Janapada Jatrotsava’ similar to Jamboo Savari, to provide an opportunity for participants who were deprived an opportunity to perform during Jamboo Savari.As many as 75 teams, including folk troupes and colleges which performed in Yuva Sambhrama, Scouts and Guides, Police Band, Mounted Police Force, Forest department and the Fire and Emergency Services department participated in the procession.

The folk artistes performed Naadaswara, Kombukahale, Veeragase, Pooja Kunita and other art forms. Police band and march past were other attractions in the procession. Thousands of people witnessed the procession along the Raja Marga, the procession route. Hundreds of tourists thronged the Mysuru Palace premises to get a glimpse of the procession.

Of the 12 Dasara elephants, 10 elephants, including howdah elephant Arjuna, moved along with the cultural troupes in the procession, from Mysuru Palace to Bannimantap Grounds. Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara offered puja to the Nandi Dhwaja in front of Kote Anjaneya Swami temple and floral tributes to Arjuna. Higher Education Minister G T Devegowda, Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahesh, Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G Sankar and City Police Commissioner Dr A S Rao were present on the occasion.

The city police had intensified security along the Dasara procession route and personnel of the Mobile Commando Centre was stationed to monitor the crowd. The city traffic police had diverted traffic on the road between Mysuru Palace and Bannimantap Grounds. G T D takes police to task District Minister G T Devegowda expressed his anguish against City Police over the police teams, which were part of the cultural procession, pulling out of the procession mid-way. Police teams, including the Mounted Police, however, continued the procession following the instructions by Devegowda and City Police Commissioner Dr A S Rao.