President Droupadi Murmu inaugurates Mysuru Dasara festivities

Mysuru: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday inaugurated Mysuru Dasara festivities, the 10-day festival that draws people from all over the world. She became the first Indian head of the state to do so.

Amidst the chanting of Vedic hymns at the Chamundeshwari temple on top of Chamundi Hills, the President showered flowers on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the patron deity of Mysuru royals, to kick off the festivities during the auspicious "Vrushchika Lagna."

At the inauguration, President Murmu was joined by a number of senior cabinet members, including Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Shobha Karandlaje, and a number of state cabinet ministers.

Prior to the inauguration, the President also paid a visit to the Chamundeshwari temple and offered prayers to the Goddess, who is known as the "Naada Devate" (state deity). This is Murmu's first trip to any state as the President of India.

After sombre celebrations for the previous two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the "Nada Habba" festivities will be a spectacular affair this year, showcasing Karnataka's rich culture and traditions together with memories of royal grandeur and splendour.

Later, Murmu is set to attend the opening of a new campus at the Indian Institute of Information Technology in Dharwad. This will be followed by a felicitation event "Poura Sanmana", hosted by the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation at Hubballi. According to reports, the President will visit Bengaluru on Tuesday to officially inaugurate a manufacturing facility for integrated cryogenic engines owned by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). She will then virtually lay the cornerstone for the South Zone's Zonal Institute of Virology.