The Hindu : Karnataka News : Once famous Vajramusti kalaga now reduced to a ritual

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 24, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Once famous Vajramusti kalaga now reduced to a ritual

By Our Staff Correspondent

`Jattis' participating in Vajramushti kalaga inside the palace courtyard to mark Vijayadashami in Mysore on Saturday.

MYSORE, OCT. 23. A tradition observed since historical times that gave a touch of royal aura to Mysore Dasara came to a close with the Vijayadashami celebrations marked by the procession and Vajramusti kalaga in the residential palace of the Mysore royal family.

Unique form

The Navaratri celebrations ended on Saturday with the performance of Uttara puja, which was preceded by Vajramusti kalaga, a unique form of wrestling that is now on the verge of extinction. The "fist fighting'' was patronised by the Wadiyars and the local wrestlers or "jattis'' used to take great pride during its heydays which is now reduced to a ritual to propitiate Goddess Durga.

The end of the Vajramusti kalaga also signalled the commencement of the royal procession when the scion of the royal family, Srikantadutta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, mounted the palanquin and headed to the Bhuveneshwari Temple with the courtiers all decked up in the traditional attire for the last round of rituals that came to an end with the worship to Goddess Chamundeshwari.

Celebrating the triumph of the good over evil and supplanting darkness with light, Navaratri as celebrated by the Wadiyars of Mysore helped conjure up images that were representative of the oriental romance as described by ancient travellers to India.

National festival

An India of caparisoned elephants and palaces, the Maharajas and their durbars, complex rituals and all of which fascinated the West.

Though celebrated across the nation, there is a school of thought that the grandeur of the celebrations in Mysore catapulted the festivities, which emerged as a national festival over the years.

Durbar

The private durbar of the royal family is an elaborate affair that was witnessed by a select audience.

From the rituals that accompanied the assembling of the golden throne till the conclusion of the private durbar held in all paraphernalia during the last nine days was a visual feast to the onlookers.

Signature tune

A fascinating aspect was the palace musicians playing a signature tune composed to commemorate the assumption of power by the Wadiyars.

A tradition of the Vijayanagar emperors kept alive in modern times, the private durbar and the royal Dasara held during the last nine days vividly reflected the images portrayed by artistes of the 19th and 20th centuries.

As for instance, the massive murals of Mysore Dasara painted in the Jaganmohan Palace.

Rich in colours, the art work is complete with royal procession, the caparisoned elephants, the royal horses, the courtiers, the nobles and the soldiers marching through the palace gate and winding their through the city... all set in the backdrop of the Chamundi Hills.

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