Mysore Dasara: Jamboo Savari, the Palace Lights and How to See It
Written in 2022, updated in October 2026. Prices and timings still change; check before you go.
When to go Mysuru through the year
Easiest: Jun to Jul, Nov to Feb. Tap + for the month-by-month weather and where these numbers come from.
- January: Easy. Daytime about 30°, night about 16°. Rain: dry, about 7 mm.
- February: Easy. Daytime about 34°, night about 17°. Rain: dry, about 4 mm.
- March: Mixed. Daytime about 36°, night about 20°. Rain: dry, about 16 mm.
- April: Mixed. Daytime about 36°, night about 22°. Rain: some, about 49 mm.
- May: Mixed. Daytime about 32°, night about 22°. Rain: wet, about 158 mm.
- June: Easy. Daytime about 30°, night about 20°. Rain: some, about 91 mm.
- July: Easy. Daytime about 29°, night about 20°. Rain: some, about 96 mm.
- August: Mixed. Daytime about 29°, night about 20°. Rain: wet, about 154 mm.
- September: Mixed. Daytime about 29°, night about 20°. Rain: wet, about 131 mm.
- October: Mixed. Daytime about 29°, night about 19°. Rain: wet, about 147 mm.
- November: Easy. Daytime about 28°, night about 18°. Rain: some, about 71 mm.
- December: Easy. Daytime about 28°, night about 17°. Rain: some, about 34 mm.
Nilabh: Comfortable most of the year. December to February is easy, 28 to 34° by day with nights near 16°, and June to July is easy too, with light rain. March and April are the hot months, about 36°, and the wettest stretch is August to October.
Ten-year averages (2015 to 2024) from NASA POWER satellite data. Conditions change; check before you go.
Where do these numbers come from, and how far can you trust them?
The figures come from NASA POWER, a free NASA project that publishes weather estimates for every point on Earth, put together from satellites and weather models. We took every day from 2015 to 2024 for this place, and averaged each month: the usual daytime high, the usual night low, and the rain.
We compared it with official weather-station figures for a few places. Over flat land it matched closely; in the hills and on islands it can be a few degrees out, and then the strip says so.
Easy, Mixed and Hard are our rule of thumb, not a forecast. Hard means days above about 37°, rain of about 250 mm a month or more, or nights close to freezing. Mixed means days above about 32°, rain over about 100 mm a month, or cold nights (below about 8°). Easy is everything else.
An average is not the weather on your dates, and it knows nothing about festivals, crowds, road closures or this year's monsoon. Check a forecast a week before you go.
Mysuru Dasara 2026 at a Glance
| You are asking | The answer |
|---|---|
| When is Mysuru Dasara 2026? | 11 to 21 October. It opened on Chamundi Hill on 11 October and ends with the Jamboo Savari on Vijayadashami, Wednesday 21 October. Mysuru keeps its own palace calendar, so some national calendars show the 20th; the procession is on the 21st. |
| Where does the Jamboo Savari go? | From the Mysuru Palace along Sayyaji Rao Road to the Bannimantap grounds, in the afternoon of 21 October. The torchlight parade (Panjina Kavayatthu) is at Bannimantap the same evening. |
| Who carries the golden howdah this year? | Not Abhimanyu: after carrying the 750 kg golden Ambari six times, he retired this year at 60, the age limit for Dasara duty. Dhananjaya is the likely choice; the Forest Department makes the final call after the last rehearsals. |
| When is the palace lit? | Every evening of the festival from 7 pm, for two to three hours (sources differ on the closing time). It is free to watch from outside the palace. |
| Do I need a ticket? | Not to watch from the street or to see the palace lights. For a seat: the Gold Card is ₹6,500 (₹6,961 with fees), a Jamboo Savari seat ₹3,500 and the torchlight parade ₹1,500, only through mysoredasara.gov.in. |
| Bus, train or car from Bengaluru? | All three work; book ahead. KSRTC is running about 3,000 Dasara specials out of Bengaluru, the railway has unreserved specials from 16 to 22 October, and the Vande Bharat takes about two hours. By car, the highway has two tolls of ₹185 each for a car, one way. |
| Will it rain? | Possibly. In Mysuru, August to October is the wettest stretch of the year, so carry an umbrella or a light raincoat for the evenings. |
Before You Go (October 2026)
- Jamboo Savari day, 21 October. Roads around the palace close from 11 am. Seat holders in the palace forecourt must be in by 12.30 pm (gates open at 10 am); the torchlight parade gates at Bannimantap are open from 4.30 to 6.30 pm. To watch for free, find a spot on the route early: the crowd builds from late morning.
- Tickets. Only from the official portal, mysoredasara.gov.in (sold through TicketGenie); the district administration warns against any other seller. Seats are numbered this year. Tickets bought online must be exchanged for printed ones at the Spandana counter in the Deputy Commissioner's office, with the booking message and a government photo ID.
- What the Gold Card covers. One person: a numbered Jamboo Savari seat, the torchlight parade enclosure, the drone show on the date printed on it, and one entry each to the palace, Chamundi Hill and the zoo.
- From Bengaluru by bus. KSRTC runs about 3,000 extra buses from 16 to 20 October, about 700 of them for Mysuru, from Majestic (Kempegowda bus station), the Mysuru Road satellite bus stand and Shantinagar, with extra return buses on 20 and 21 October. Book on KSRTC's site or app.
- By train. South Western Railway runs unreserved Dasara specials between Bengaluru, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar from 16 to 22 October. Reserved trains (the Vande Bharat, the Shatabdi) fill early.
- By car. The Bengaluru–Mysuru highway (NH 275) has two toll plazas, ₹185 each for a car one way (from July 2026). Two-wheelers and autos are not allowed on the main road and use the service road. On the 21st, leave Bengaluru early or late; traffic into Mysuru is heaviest that afternoon.
- The weather. Pack for rain: October evenings in Mysuru can be wet.
Mysore Dasara– The tenth day of Durga Puja or Dasara, we all know is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil. Read here some interesting stories behind the celebration of Mysore Dasara
There are two important stories behind the celebration of Dussehra festival in Indian One story is associated with Lord Ram and another is associated with Goddess Durga.
While most of us grew up listening to the stories of Ram and Goddess Durga, let’s discuss Mysore Dasara, which has always been a mark of royal celebration for several centuries.
The tenth day of Dasara is what is famous as ‘Jumbo Savari.’ Yes, this is when colorfully painted elephants will gracefully walk around the city. and world famous Mysore Palace.
According to a legend, Vijayadashami denoted the victory of truth over evil and was the day when the Hindu Goddess Chamundeshwari killed the demon Mahishasura.
Mahishasura was the demon from whose name the name Mysore has been derived. The city of Mysore has a long tradition of celebrating the Dasara festival, and the festivities there is an elaborate affair, attracting a broad audience including foreigners. The Dasara festival completed the 400th anniversary in the year 2010.
Mysore Dasara- The Main Attractions & What To See
The main attraction of the ten-day Mysore Dasara festival is the Mysore Palace which is illuminated daily with nearly 1 lakh (100,000) light bulbs from 7 pm to 10 pm on all days of the festival.Mysore Dasara-it is about the elephants, food, lights and the royal family of Mysore, the Wodeyars. Of the many things, one that is most notable during Dasara is the traditional attire adorned by the members of the Mysore royal family.
The Training of Jumbos: Before Dasara, the elephants are taken on a walk around the city for 45 days to acclimatize them and make them comfortable with the noise and environment of the city. (2026: this year the elephants left the forest camps in the Gajapayana in late August and entered the palace on 28 August, about eight weeks before the procession.)
So if you want to enjoy the sight and see the graceful Jumbos march around the city with illuminated Mysore Palace, visit Mysore during Dasara. However, prepare to face huge crowds and gatherings.
Visiting Mysore? we suggest you check out the famous bird sanctuary ranganathittu bird sanctuary
What's On, 11 to 21 October 2026
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 11 October | Inauguration at the Chamundeshwari temple on Chamundi Hill (this year by the seer of Gavi Mutt, Koppal). The Dasara exhibition opens at Doddakere Maidan, opposite the palace, and runs into January. | Chamundi Hill; Doddakere Maidan |
| 11 to 21 October | The palace lit every evening from 7 pm. | Mysuru Palace |
| 12 to 20 October | Yuva Dasara and the evening cultural programmes. | Maharaja's College grounds and the palace |
| 17 and 18 October | Drone show (₹1,000; free seating). | Bannimantap |
| 18 and 19 October | A Kambala, the coastal buffalo race, at Mysuru Dasara for the first time. | Venue to be announced |
| 20 October | Mahanavami and Ayudha Puja. | Mysuru Palace |
| 21 October, afternoon | Jamboo Savari: the floral tribute to Goddess Chamundeshwari at the palace, then the procession. | Palace to Bannimantap |
| 21 October, evening | Torchlight parade (Panjina Kavayatthu). | Bannimantap parade grounds |
The exact times for the 21st follow the palace's auspicious hour (the Meena Lagna this year) and are announced close to the day; check the programme on mysoredasara.gov.in.
More for Your Mysuru Trip
- Mysore Palace: timings, tickets, the lights and the sound and light show.
- Chamundi Hills: the 1,000 steps, the Nandi and the temple where Dasara begins.
- Places to see in Mysore in two days.
- Srirangapatna and Muthathi: Srirangapatna, the old Wodeyar capital, is where Dasara was first held, in 1610.
- Weekends from Bangalore: Mysuru, the Kaveri and more.
5comments
4 conversations from readers on the earlier site.
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