Mangalore: Nammavaru Association Eases Access to Dasara Ecstasy
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS/VA)
Mangalore, Oct 14: The grand Dasara festival which is celebrated with great faith and enthusiasm across the state and especially in Mysore state will expose its gaity in the city in a unique manner.
Those who want to rejoice the prides of ‘Dasara’ need not necessarily go to Mysore as all the flair have been arranged systematically in the city itself. The credit goes to Vipra Koota’s ‘Nammavaru’ an association which hailes from old Mysore and currently functioning in Mangalore.
The association has organized a Mysore Dasara Doll exhibition in Nellikayi Raghavendra Mutt in the city which started from Wednesday October 13. Members of ‘Nammavaru Association’ have collated their own dolls and have made it available for public view. This practice of exhibiting dolls prevailed in old Mysore province was put into practice in the city just four years ago. More than 300 dolls in various forms, size and colour have been exhibited.
Dolls have been arranged in nine phases to mark the nine days festival, Navarathri. The first line is reserved to the dolls depicting the King and the Queen. The second line portrays the ‘Dashavathara’ still. Dolls depicting goddess Ashtalaxmi, Lord Ganapathi, Lord Shiva and some occurrences in the narration of Ramayana and Mahabharatha. The dolls portraying the paddy cultivation, plowing in the field, bullock cart really relish every visitor as it reflects the beauty of village life.
Navarathri festival was started by the emperor of Vijayanagara Empire 500 year ago. Dasara Utsav was initiated by the Maharajas of Mysore 400 years ago. It is known that common men were not given access to enter the palace during that time. So the practice of doll show was taken up individually and thereby people started worshipping the dolls at their home. This practice is still followed in Mysore province. Nammavaru has arranged this doll show with a purpose of revalidating the pride of Dasara to the people of coastal region.
The exhibition will be open to public view till Sunday October 17.