Dasara Row: Mysuru Royal Family Head Says Banu Mushtaq's Selection 'Not In Dharmic Spirit'

Last Updated:August 26, 2025, 11:24 IST

Yaduveer Wadiyar said the guests who are invited ‘should accommodate certain beliefs, have a Bharatiya viewpoint and not oppose beliefs that create the festival’s background’

Yaduveer Wadiyar made it clear that while the government conducts Dasara as a public event, its heart lies in the worship of Goddess Chamundeshwari, a tradition maintained by his family for centuries. (PTI)

Mysuru-Kodagu BJP MP and titular head of the Mysore royal family, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, has said while he and his family deeply appreciate Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq’s contribution to Kannada literature, her selection as the chief guest for the Mysuru Dasara inauguration is not in the spirit of the “Dharmic tradition" of India.

Speaking to News18 about Mushtaq’s selection to inaugurate the state function of the Mysuru Dasara, which is different from the rituals, pooja and traditions that are conducted by the royal family of Mysuru led by Yaduveer Wadiyar today, the MP feels that “the guests who are invited should also accommodate certain beliefs, have a viewpoint that is Bharatiya in nature and want to encourage and not be opposing to the ideals and the beliefs that create the background of this festival that has been celebrated by our state for now many, many hundreds of years".

Asked whether the Karnataka government must reconsider the invitation, given that the Wadiyar family feels it is not in line with the sentiments they believe in, the MP said “it is up to the state entirely". “They should know that they are playing with the sentiments of people but they shouldn’t insult the person they have called already. They have to review this, keep in mind what is in the best interest of the people and the legacy of the festival itself in whatever they do in the future," he told News18.

Yaduveer emphasised that the festival’s origins, meaning, and legacy are ‘Dharmic’ (religious) in nature and embedded in Bharatiya tradition. For the Mysuru royal family, the Mysuru Dasara is a “private affair" and after Independence, the deeply rooted tradition continues, but is carried forward today as a “quasi-private public affair".

“We were the State 75 years ago. It had a public connotation to it and there are still sentiments of the people involved in ensuring it in that sense. But strictly speaking, it is a purely private affair which is ‘Dharmic’ in nature." He added that the state government cannot conduct religious rituals as they come under a secular Constitution.

“We conduct our rites and rituals as per the tradition followed in our family for 400 years," he explained.

Yaduveer made it clear that while the government conducts Dasara as a public event, its heart lies in the worship of Goddess Chamundeshwari, a tradition maintained by his family for centuries.

“Given the background that Dasara is a Dharmic festival, even though the state celebrates it from a constitutional standpoint, it still is embedded in great tradition and background—one that is about the celebration of Chamundeshwari and of all things Bharatiya."

Asked how he felt when famous Kannada poet Dr Nissar Ahmad was invited to inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara in 2017, Yaduveer said that was a “precedent" set by the Congress-led government, which is being followed with the invitation to Mushtaq—once again when the Congress is in power.

Yaduveer said while the state was proud of all its stalwarts, “all these personalities have expressed that they are against our dharmic rites and the way most of us who follow dharma conduct ourselves or our beliefs. And it’s not particularly in line with the sentiments of what the festival is about."

Yaduveer also pushed back against the notion of Dasara being treated as just a state government-organised festival. “Dasara that the state conducts is a habba or utsava. But the 10 days of Dasara draw their inspiration from the worship of Goddess Chamundeshwari and across India, Goddess Durga. The whole festival is about worshipping her and celebrating the fight of good over evil, which is an age-old Dharmic tradition," he said.

And, in that spirit, he said, those invited to inaugurate the event must reflect the essence of the tradition itself. “It is not because I come from the royal family, but because I am a citizen of this state. We know the background and the legacies that have built Karnataka. Going forward, the guest who inaugurates such a festival must carry the same sentiment," Yaduveer said.

Rohini Swamy

Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t...Read More

Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t...

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First Published:

August 26, 2025, 11:24 IST

News india Dasara Row: Mysuru Royal Family Head Says Banu Mushtaq's Selection 'Not In Dharmic Spirit'

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