Festival Guide · Karnataka

Mysuru Dasara 2027: The Royal Festival of Karnataka

By Beauty of Bharat · Published 24 October 2026 · Festival in Karnataka · Part of the India festivals guide

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Dasara in Mysuru is not a single day's celebration but a state festival — Karnataka's Nadahabba — staged by a royal city that has been perfecting it for over four centuries. For ten days the palace is outlined in nearly a lakh of bulbs every evening, elephants rehearse in the courtyard, wrestlers, poets, athletes and musicians fill the city's grounds, and on Vijayadashami the goddess Chamundeshwari rides out in a 750 kg golden howdah on a caparisoned elephant, in the Jamboo Savari procession from the palace to Bannimantap.

In 2027, Dasara follows Navratri, which begins on Thursday, 30 September. The Karnataka government publishes the official Dasara programme — inauguration, daily events and the confirmed Vijayadashami date — closer to the festival; plan on the city being in full celebration from 30 September to about 10 October.

The Story Behind Mysuru Dasara

Mysuru's Dasara descends from the Vijayanagara empire's great Navratri court, carried on after 1610 by the Wodeyar maharajas, for whom it became the defining ritual of kingship: the royal sword worshipped, the king enthroned in durbar, the goddess Chamundeshwari — slayer of the buffalo demon Mahishasura, from whom Mysuru takes its name — honoured as the state's presiding deity.

The republic kept the pageant. The scion of the royal family still holds the private Khasgi Durbar in the palace, the state government inaugurates the festival atop Chamundi Hill, and the procession's centre is unchanged: the goddess in her golden howdah, carried by the lead elephant of a trained Dasara herd that spends weeks walking the route to habituate to the crowds. It is a royal ritual performed as a people's festival — the crowds along Sayyaji Rao Road run into lakhs.

When It Happens: Dates & How They Are Set

Dasara's frame is Navratri: the nine nights begin with Ghatasthapana on Ashwin Shukla Pratipada — Thursday, 30 September 2027 — and the festival closes on Vijayadashami, the tenth day. Regional panchangs place Vijayadashami 2027 on 9 October (with Bengal observing its Dashami on 10 October), so expect the Jamboo Savari on 9 or 10 October 2027; the Karnataka government's official Dasara announcement will fix the day, and Mysuru's own calendar governs. Treat the span 30 September – 10 October as the window to book around.

Unlike most festivals here, you do not need to be present for one day only: the illumination, exhibitions and cultural programmes run nightly. But two moments are unmissable — the inauguration morning on Chamundi Hill and the Vijayadashami procession, for which the city fills from the night before.

What Happens: Highlights & Where to Be

The illuminated palace is the festival's daily miracle: for the Dasara evenings, Mysuru Palace blazes with bulbs from about 7 to 10 pm, and the whole city orientates itself towards it. See it, then walk the palace grounds as the crowds do — as a fair, not a monument. The Dasara Exhibition at Doddakere Maidan, a tradition since 1880, runs alongside: craft and government stalls, food, and a giant wheel over the city lights.

Jamboo Savari day: the procession leaves the palace in the afternoon — Nandi Dhwaja puja at the Balarama gate, then the march: police and palace bands, folk troupes from across Karnataka, tableaux, cavalry, and finally the lead elephant bearing the golden howdah. The best vantage points along Sayyaji Rao Road fill hours in advance; the procession ends at Bannimantap with an evening torchlight parade. Book a seat if you can, arrive early if you cannot.

Fill the days between: the flower show at Kuppanna Park, the food festival (Aahara Mela), Yuva Dasara concerts for younger crowds, the traditional wrestling tournament, heritage walks in the old city, and the climb up Chamundi Hill at dawn — 1,000 steps, the goddess's temple, and the whole festival city below.

How to Attend

Mysuru is about three hours from Bengaluru by the expressway or the frequent trains (including Vande Bharat services), and Bengaluru's airport is the usual gateway — the city's own airport has limited flights. Details are in our Mysuru transport guide; stay advice — heritage hotels near the palace versus quieter residential areas — is in the stay section. Book early: Dasara is Mysuru's highest-demand week of the year.

The street festival is free; the palace's interior, special exhibitions and any ticketed seating for the procession are paid separately and announced with the official programme. On Vijayadashami, central Mysuru closes to traffic around the route — plan to walk, and carry your hotel's address for the inevitable detours.

Good to Know Before You Go

Dasara crowds are dense but famously orderly; still, keep festival basics — early arrival for the procession, a fixed meeting point, and care with valuables in the crush near the palace gates. Photography is welcomed in the streets; the palace interior has its own rules and ticket checks. Mysuru in October is warm by day and pleasant at night. For the city outside festival week, see our Mysuru destination guide and the Karnataka guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Keep Planning

Return to the festivals hub for the year-round calendar, read the Mysuru destination guide for the full picture of the place, and browse the Karnataka travel guide. Pair this festival with Durga Puja and Navratri Garba.