The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Tracing the State's cultural history

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Wednesday, Oct 04, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Tracing the State's cultural history

K. Satyamurty

"Most festivals have close relationship with seasons of the year'`

B.M. Chandrashekaraiah — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: History has been a passion for this former government official. The fact that he was a Deputy Director with the State Information Department may have helped B.M. Chandrasekharaiah in locating the sources for his detailed research into the cultural history of Karnataka. He has written a book on this subject in Kannada and is working on an English version, which he promises will be more detailed.

The origins of Dasara or Navarathri developing into a major regional festival can be traced to the Vijayanagar Empire, he has found. "Arab travellers such as Abdul Razac in 1443 and Nunez, in the same century, wrote extensively about the grandeur of the Vijayanagar rulers and the way Dasara was being celebrated with their patronage," he says. Most Indian festivals have a close relationship with the seasons of the year, and for Dasara it is autumn, when the rainy season gradually changes over to colder weather. The changes in nature were seen by our ancestors as the birth of Goddess Shakti, the power of nature itself. "She is worshipped in several forms and in the local tradition as Chamundi, who slayed demon Mahishasura. The ninth day of the festival is Mahanavami, when it became customary for rulers like the kings of Vijayanagar to worship their weapons, chariots, and the animals used in battle. You can see the origins of the customs connected with today's Dasara of Mysore from the chronicles of those days," says Mr. Chandrasekharaiah.

The chronicles he refers to are those recorded by the Portugese traveler Domingo Paes (1520 A.D.) who visited Vjayanaagar during the reign of Krishnadevaraya, 1509 to 1529.

The kings of those days had a tradition of constructing a "House of Victory," to mark a major battle which gained them territory and power over more subjects.

"You can also see friezes showing the way musicians, dancing girls, decorated elephants and horses and soldiers in special uniforms participating," he says. There were also regiments of moors, with their own special shields, spears and bows and even missiles of the period, foreign travellers have described.

The best part about it all is that the tradition did not die away with the eclipse of the Vijayanagar Empire, this researcher explains. "The Mysore Wadiyars continued the tradition, though on a smaller scale. The practices and rituals associated with Dasara continued almost unbroken and can still be enjoyed. After Vijayanagar Empire broke up, Raja Wadiyar left Mysore and occupied the throne at Srirangapatna. It was he who laid down the rules for the celebration of the festival," he says.

Dasara again enjoys State patronage on a large scale and while no ruler is paraded on a golden howdah, it is the image of Chamundeswari. The caparisoned elephants and mounted police still remain a part of the grand procession after more than four centuries when the festival began to be celebrated on a grand scale.

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