Vijsysdashami or Dasara celebrates nothing less than the victory of good over evil. Mysore/Mysuru, India is named after that great battle.

The buffalo demon, Mahimadura tricked Shiva into giving him Godlike powers that he used to wreak havoc on humanity. The goddess Puja descended to earth and, after a great battle, slew the demon. Mysore is based on the name of the demon’s homes that was the site of the epic battle.

The Dasara parade commemorates the battle and was supposed to coincide with the coronation of the local prince. Unfortunately, due to a death in the family, the coronation was cancelled but the celebrations continued.

Happy drummer.

Spinning fun.

Elephants making nice with the crowd.

Float of Mother Earth (?)

We stand on guard…..

Hanuman, the monkey god, creating a spectacle.

A loud start to the parade

Is anyone else thinking of ABBA right now?

Female drummer. Most musicians in the parade were male but there were a few exceptions. This band had a huge number of female drummers.

Military presence

The idol being carried by elephant in a gold container.

Scaring away the demon?

Elephants

Checking out the crowd.

More colour

A few death defying stunts were performed.

Ew, scary!

Waiting (for hours) for the parade to start

Getting ready to jump….

Dasara featured a huge variety of performers including members of the demon’s family.

Dancers having a good time.

Elephants putting on a show.

Scary face to chase the demon away.

Shiva, on stilts.