Mysore's Wodeyar scion worships royal armoury on Dasara

October 13, 2013

Mysore, Oct 13: Srikantadatta Narasimharaja, scion of the Wodeyar dynasty, worshipped the royal armoury of his dynasty Sunday on the auspicious ninth day (Mahanavami) of the Dasara festival at Ambi Vilas Palace in the city centre.

Dressed in royal robes and sporting the king's headgear, the 60-year-old prince performed the ritual 'Ayudha pooja' in the durbar of the century-old palace amid chanting of Vedic hymns. His family members and hundreds of people thronged the hallowed precincts for a glimpse of the grandeur that marked the 10-day fest over the ages.

The armoury, a treasure trove of about 1,000 weapons of offense and defence, with some of them dating back to 14th century, is a priceless collection of the Wodeyar rulers.

According to palace sources, the armoury consists of a variety of swords, including an elastic sword with a belt that was worn by Kathirava Narasaraja Wodeyar in the 17th century. The sacred sword was also used by his successors such as Vijaya Narasimha during wars he fought in the 18th century.

The armoury, which is kept secured in the 'ayudha sala' of the palace where the scion lives with his royal family, is brought out to the durbar for the Dasara fest.

Among the weapons worshipped on the occasion are a knife bearing the inscription 'chura de 2' of Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar of the 18th century, a sword named 'nimcha', which belonged to Hyder Ali, another sword christened 'Sanva' of Tipu Sultan, and a knife with 'pesh-kabza' inscribed that was used by Krishnaraja Wodeyar III in the 19th century.

Some of the objects in the armoury are small guns, which were presented to Wodeyar III by Colonel Wellesley of the British Army in 1803 at Bijapur in the northern region of the state.

As part of the ritual, the scion also worshipped artifacts in the palace, followed by caparisoned elephants, horses, cows and bullocks, and his collection of vintage cars in the palace courtyard.

The scion also performed rituals in the palace temple and invoked the blessing of Hindu goddess Chamundeshwari.

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Deputy SP suspended over Ganesh idol procession violence in Mandya

News Network

September 20,2024

Mandya: The Deputy Superintendent of Police of Nagamangala town in Mandya district has been suspended for "negligence and dereliction of duty" in connection with the clashes that broke out between two groups during a Lord Ganesh idol procession, police said on Friday.

This is the second suspension of a police officer over the clashes on September 11 following which mobs went on a rampage targeting several shops and vehicles leading to tension here.

The situation in the town has since returned to normalcy and most of the shops have started operating. However, adequate security forces continued to be stationed here as a precautionary measure, according to police.

Sumeeth A R, DySP (Nagamangala), was suspended on Thursday for negligence and dereliction of duty, Mandya Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baldandi told PTI.

"He (Sumeeth) was not present at the spot nor was he at the police headquarters when the incident occurred. He arrived late at the spot despite the sensitive nature of events," he said.

Earlier, Police Inspector Ashok Kumar posted at Nagamangala town police station was suspended for dereliction of duty in connection with the violence.

A total of 55 people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

According to police, an argument broke out between two groups, when the Ganesh idol procession by devotees from Badarikoppalu village reached a place of worship on September 11, and some miscreants hurled stones, which escalated the situation.

The police had used mild force to disperse the crowd to control the situation.

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