Mysuru Dasara 2026 from October 11, Jumbo Savari on October 21

The Dasara elephant camp will officially begin its ‘Gajapayana’ on July 26, while the traditional welcome ceremony for the elephant squad will be held at the Mysuru Palace entrance on August 26 after a special puja.

Bengaluru : The Karnataka government has kick-started preparations for the world-famous Mysuru Dasara 2026, with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar chairing a high-level preparatory meeting at Vidhana Soudha on Friday. The meeting finalised the schedule for the 10-day state festival, with the inauguration set for October 11 at 11.50 am atop Chamundi Hill and the grand Vijayadashami Jumbo Savari on October 21.

The Dasara elephant camp will officially begin its ‘Gajapayana’ on July 26, while the traditional welcome ceremony for the elephant squad will be held at the Mysuru Palace entrance on August 26 after a special puja.

The state festival will be formally inaugurated on October 11 during the auspicious Dhanur Lagna at Chamundi Hill. On Vijayadashami, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar will perform the traditional Nandi Dhwaja Puja before the iconic Jumbo Savari procession begins. Later, floral tributes will be offered to Goddess Chamundeshwari seated atop the Golden Howdah.

The meeting also discussed security arrangements, sanitation, traffic management, tourism promotion and infrastructure development to ensure a smooth experience for lakhs of visitors expected from across India and abroad.

For the first time, the government is considering organising Karnataka’s traditional buffalo race, Kambala, as part of the Dasara festivities. The Kambala committee has requested permission to conduct the event on October 18 and 19 along with a separate budget allocation.

Officials also deliberated on improving tourist facilities, strengthening civic amenities and ensuring seamless coordination among departments during the celebrations.

The meeting was attended by Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara, ministers K.J. George and K. Venkatesh, senior legislators, officials from Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts, besides senior police and administrative officers.