# Mysuru Dasara opens with ceremony atop Chamundi Hills

> The 11-day festival begins with traditional rituals and a call for agriculture, water conservation and school development.
- Title: Mysuru Dasara opens with ceremony atop Chamundi Hills
- Summary: The 11-day festival begins with traditional rituals and a call for agriculture, water conservation and school development. Mysuru Dasara's 11-day festivities…
- Keywords: mysuru dasara, chamundi hills, abhinava gavisiddeshwara swami, d.k. shivakumar, mysuru, karnataka, festival, news, politics, Dasara, opens, ceremony
- Source: The Hindu — https://thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/11-day-mysuru-dasara-festivities-begin-with-a-traditional-start/article71571301.ece
- Author: The Hindu Bureau
- Published: 2026-10-11T19:19:53+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: mysuru dasara, chamundi hills, abhinava gavisiddeshwara swami, d.k. shivakumar, mysuru, karnataka, festival, news, politics
## Dasara begins atop Chamundi Hills
The 11-day Mysuru Dasara festivities got off to a traditional start on Sunday with Abhinava Gavisiddeshwara Swami of Gavimutt, Koppal, lighting the traditional lamp and showering flowers on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari.
## Events planned across 11 days
The inauguration marked the beginning of a series of Dasara events, including the flower show, citywide illumination, Dasara sports meet, cultural programmes, food festival, book fair and traditional wrestling bouts.
## Chief Minister and 200 seers attend
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and other dignitaries participated in the inaugural ceremony. For the first time, over 200 seers and religious heads attended the inaugural event.
## Dasara evolved from royal to people's festival
In his inaugural address, the seer said Dasara, once a royal festival, had evolved into a celebration of the people and the land.
## Seer calls for agriculture and water protection
Emphasising the importance of agriculture, the seer said technology could never download food. He urged the government and public to protect rivers such as the Cauvery, the Krishna, and the Tungabhadra.

> However advanced technology may become, we cannot download rice and sambar.
## Seer urges support for school development
Recalling educationist Harekal Hajabba's contribution, the seer urged people to support school development in their villages. He said Kannadigas overseas could contribute to building laboratories and libraries in schools.
## Six crore people can drive state development
The seer said if all six crore people in the State pledge to work for development, it will mean six crore steps in the right direction, calling for collective action toward progress.
## Key takeaway

Mysuru Dasara's 11-day festivities began on October 12, 2026, with a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony atop Chamundi Hills led by the Seer of Gavimutt, marking the start of events including flower shows, cultural programmes and sports meets.