The 10-day world famous Dasara celebrations will commence in Mysore on October 4 and conclude on October 13.

About 1,000 gold cards priced Rs. 5,000 each will be available for tourists and visitors. The gold card holders will provide easy and separate access for witnessing the Dasara programmes, including the concluding torchlight parade at the Banni Mantap grounds on October 13. A designated officer will be at hand in case the holder faces any problems in witnessing the celebrations, assure the organizing authorities.

Besides the gold card, for the first time a passport at Rs. 50 per adult and Rs. 25 per child is being also made available. The passport holder can visit six tourist spots -- Palace, Zoo, Chamundi Temple, Karanji Lake in Mysore city, Ranganathittu Bird
Sanctuary on the outskirts of Mysore and the famous Brindavan Gardens (Krishnarajasagar) – at a concessional rate on any one day and without waiting in queue.

Reputed national level artistes will render classical music at the Palace premises from October 4 to 12. National level football teams are being invited for holding exhibition football matches. An air show on October 8 is another attraction. Over 1,500
sportspersons from all over Karnataka will compete in 14 types of sports events, besides best physique and adventure sports. A marathon race from the Palace ground to the Chamundi Vihar Stadium via the ring road is being organized.

A few other programmes during the 10 days are: poets’ meet on October 4, Yuva Dasara cultural events for youngmen and women at Manasa Gangotri Open Air Stadium from October 6 to 12 and 76-day-long Dasara Exhibition from October 4 to December 18.

Top artistes to perform at the Palace grounds are: Dr. Balamurali Krishna (Karnatak music), Prof. R.Visweswaran & Ravi Kiran (Veena and Vichithra Veena), Shimoga Subbanna (Sugam Sangeeth), Begum Parveen Sulthana (Hindustani vocal), Pandit Viswamohan Bhat (Mohana Veena), T.V.Shankaranarayan (Karnatak vocal), Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (Flute), Usthad Rashid Ali Khan (Hindustani music), and Dr. Padma Subramanyam (Bharatanatyam).

While roads will be spruced up, vehicles passing through Mysore for other destinations will be diverted on the new ring road, now open for traffic, for avoiding traffic congestion during the celebrations.

The State Government has released Rs. 73 lakh for organizing the 2005 Dasara celebrations. The officials hope to raise another Rs. 45 lakh by the sale of gold cards. Some private companies are likely to sponsor a few programmes. The Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers has already agreed to support one of them.

While the State Government-sponsored Dasara concludes with the Vijaya Dasami procession and torchlight parade on October 13, Prince Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, scion of Mysore Wodeyar’s dynasty, will end his religious and private celebrations within the Palace a day earlier on October 12 alone, as per the Hindu almanac.

In accordance with the Pouranic and religious traditions, he will conduct the festivities from October 4 to 12, for nine days. He will hold a private durbar in the Palace for eight days seated on the historic and ancient golden throne. The Durbar will be
restricted to his invitees and foreign tourists. On October 12, the last date of his private celebrations, he will take out the Vijaya Dasami procession.

The initial religious ceremony of assembling the golden throne in the Palace began on October 19, royal priests performing the traditional pooja.