Overview

• International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq inaugurated Mysuru Dasara on September 22 by offering flowers and lighting a lamp at the Chamundeshwari Temple between 10:10 and 10:40 a.m.
• Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and cabinet ministers attended the opening, where priests recited Vedic hymns, and Mushtaq urged peace, harmony and inclusivity in her remarks.
• Police enforced heavy security on Chamundi Hills with more than 6,000 personnel, layered checkpoints, frisking, pass-only entry, restrictions on private vehicles and a ban on black caps and handkerchiefs.
• The Karnataka High Court on September 15 and the Supreme Court on September 19 dismissed petitions against Mushtaq’s role, citing the Constitution’s secular principles and treating the inauguration as a state event.
• The 11-day festival runs through October 2 with concerts, flower shows, exhibitions, Yuva Dasara and heritage events across multiple city venues, culminating in the Vijayadashami procession.