Mysuru: As curtains fall on the 11-day grandeur of the Mysuru Dasara celebrations, the city of palaces is all set for a spectacular procession on Vijayadashami on Wednesday that will also mark the grand finale of the iconic event.

Celebrated as 'Nada Habba' (state festival), the Dasara or 'Sharan Navaratri' festivities were a grand affair this year, depicting Karnataka's rich culture and traditions, reminiscent of royal pomp and glory.

Thousands of people are expected to witness the 'Jamboo Savari,' a march of a dozen caparisoned elephants led by 'Prashantha,' carrying the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru and its royals, on a 750 kg howdah or "Ambari" covered with gold.

The grand procession will begin with Chief Minister D K Shivakumar offering pooja to the 'Nandi Dhwaja' (Nandi Flag) between 1.36 pm and 1.56 pm during the auspicious "Makara Lagna," at the Balarama gate of the imposing Amba Vilas Palace here.

The procession, consisting of a number of artists or cultural groups and tableaux from various districts depicting their regional culture and heritage, will cover a distance of about five km before culminating at Bannimantapa.

Tableaux from various government departments, schemes, programmes, and those depicting social messages are also expected to be part of the procession. Tableaux representing all three wings of the country's armed forces are expected to showcase their valour, service and spirit.

Large numbers of people are expected to line up along the procession route hours before it starts.

The chief minister and other dignitaries, including the erstwhile Mysuru royal family scion Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, will then flag off the procession of caparisoned elephants by showering flowers on the idol of Chamundeshwari, placed in a howdah, during the auspicious "Meena Lagna" between 4.10 pm and 4.35 pm.

Shivakumar had recently said that his Keralam and Telangana counterparts, V D Satheesan and A Revanth Reddy, respectively, will take part in the celebration this year.

Twenty-one shots will be fired from the cannons, as elephant Prashantha carrying the goddess in a howdah, flanked by 'Kumki' (trained) elephants, will arrive at the specially erected dais for dignitaries to offer flowers.

Prashantha, a 54-year-old experienced pachyderm, will carry the golden howdah for the first time this year.

Elephant Dhananjaya has been designated as the reserve elephant in case of an emergency. Abhimanyu will lead the contingent as the 'Nishane' elephant, while Gopi will be the 'Naupat' elephant. Kaveri and Roopa will accompany the howdah elephant as 'Kumki' elephants.

Ekalavya, Sugreeva, Lakshmi, Srikanta, Srirama and Mahendra will be part of the supporting elephant contingent, adding to the grandeur of the procession.

The Dasara procession is held on "Vijayadashami" day, signifying the victory of good over evil.

During the days of yore, the king would sit in the howdah accompanied by his brother and nephew. Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar was the last royal King of Mysuru to ride in a howdah.

The tradition of the Dasara procession continues to this day, but now, instead of kings, the idol of the presiding deity of the Mysuru city, Goddess Chamundeshwari, is taken in procession in the howdah. The core of the 750-kg howdah is said to be wood, but is covered with 80 kg of gold.

Police have made elaborate security and crowd management arrangements for the grand event, officials said.

At the palace, keeping up with the traditions, the royal scion Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, dressed in grand attire, will take out the 'Vijaya Yatra' from Amba Vilas Palace to the Bhuvaneshwari Devi temple within the premises, where he will perform a special pooja to the 'Shami' tree on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Wadiyar performed "Ayudha Pooja," a ritual to worship the erstwhile royal family's weapons, vehicles, and animals, including elephants, horses, and cows, continuing the age-old legacy and traditions.

'Vajramushti Kalaga', a special duel between 'Jetties' (wrestlers) armed with a 'Vajramushti' or a knuckle-duster, will also be part of the celebrations at the palace on Wednesday, in which Jetties from various parts of the state would participate.

Various programmes were held during the last 10 auspicious days of Dasara, during which the palace, major streets, turnarounds or circles and buildings of Mysuru were beautified by illuminating them with lights, fondly known as "Deepalankaara", and various cultural programmes were held at various venues.

Dozens of events like food mela, flower show, cultural programmes, farmers' Dasara, women's Dasara, Yuva Dasara, children's Dasara, and poetry recital attracted people this year, along with crowd-pullers like Dasara Exhibition, drone show turning the city into a carnival of sorts.

Dasara airshow during the last couple of days was also a major attraction this year.

The torchlight parade will be held at the Bannimantapa grounds on Wednesday evening, where Governor Sudha Yadav is expected to be the chief guest.

The Navaratri celebrations at the palace included several rituals every day, most notably Wadiyar, dressed in grand attire, conducting 'Khasagi durbar' (private durbar) by ascending the golden throne, amid chanting of Vedic hymns.

Dasara was celebrated by the rulers of the Vijayanagar empire, and the tradition was inherited by the Wadiyars of Mysuru.

Festivities were first started in Mysuru by the Wadiyar King, Raja Wadiyar I, in the year 1610.

It became a private affair of the royal family following the abolition of the privy purse in 1971 and the discontinuation of the privileges of the erstwhile rulers.

However, a low-key Dasara used to be held on the initiative of the local people until the state government stepped in and the then Chief Minister D Devaraj Urs revived the Dasara celebrations in 1975, which is being followed till date.