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.

Ew, scary!

A loud start to the parade

Dancers having a good time.

The idol being carried by elephant in a gold container.

Military presence

Is anyone else thinking of ABBA right now?

Scaring away the demon?

Happy drummer.

Elephants making nice with the crowd.

Shiva, on stilts.

Checking out the crowd.

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

Elephants

Getting ready to jump….

A few death defying stunts were performed.

More colour

Spinning fun.

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

Waiting (for hours) for the parade to start

Float of Mother Earth (?)

We stand on guard…..

Elephants putting on a show.

Hanuman, the monkey god, creating a spectacle.

Scary face to chase the demon away.