For those who are wondering why the previous page on Mysore did not have refrenece to the Palace - I arrived in the evening and by time I got to the palace it was dusk and hence I could not get any picture of it without lightings. The next day I went to Brindavan Gardens and by the time I got back, it was almost time for the procession and hence I again could not get a good shot of it. However I got a great shot of the Palace lighting which is done for festivals. The palace is magnificent one and though it looks historic, it was built in the 1930s.

There are no half measures when lighting up for Dasara at Mysore. Every thing is lit up - palace, walls, arches, roads, etc. On the left end of the right side picture, you can see the lighting reads "Suswagatha" (which means welcome) in kannada. This lighting is actually on a hill at a distance.

The dasara procession starts with the Jamboo Savari (procession of Elephants). Due to the crowds (estimated 500,000) all I saw of the procession was through my camera. All the shots were taken from above my head and over the crowds standing before me. This photos shows the start of the procession from the Balrama gate of the palace. The palace it self can be seen in background.

Here are more picture of the magnificent beasts.

The jumbos are followed by tableaus and performing artists. You can here the band play for the image in the right by clicking the play button.

Srikantadatta Wodeyar, the scion of the Royal family, on one of the Tableaus.