Jamboo Savari

A self addressed postcard from Mysore, India with the pictorial cancellation of the Royal City.

The postmark shows the elephant procession during the famous Dussehra festivals of Mysore where the elephant carries the Golden Howdah. 

The Golden Howdah  is an elephant seat, the carrier mounted on the leading elephant during the Jamboo Savari (Elephant Procession) of the famous Mysore Dasara. It is the cynosure of all eyes during the famous Dasara festivities. 

The exact date of its making is not known. The 750-kg-howdah, used in the Jamboo Savari (elephant procession) on the Vijayadashami day, has two wide seats in rows, bigger than the interiors of a family car. The Rajas of Mysore used this howdah in the famous Dasara procession, which traversed through the thoroughfares of the princely city during the festival every year. But since the abolition of royalty the statue of Chamundeshwari ( the family deity of the kings ) is being carried in the howdah. The Howdah is made of pure gold.The core structure is wood and it was covered in filigreed gold sheets weighing 60 kilograms. It has three deftly carved pillars on each of the four sides. It is covered with a canopy resembling a crown. The seat itself is made of silver, alluring designs embellishing it.

The elephant carrying the Howdah is trained and groomed to do the job years before it actually does it. Balarama has the distinction of participating in the procession 19 times and has carried the Howdah on thirteen occasions, between 1999 and 2011. After taking over from him in 2012, Arjuna has been the carrier.

Mysuru Dussehra

It is a 10-day festival, starting with Navaratri (Nava-ratri means nine-nights) and the last day being Vijayadashami. The festival is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October. It was the day in the Hindu legends when Goddess Chamundeshwari (Durga) killed the demon Mahishasura. 

The statue of Mahisasura atop the Chamundi Hills

Mahishasura is the demon whose slaying by the Goddess gave the city the name Mysuru - Mahisuru. 

The city of Mysuru has a long tradition of celebrating the Dasara festival with grandeur and pomp to mark the festival. The Dasara festival in Mysuru completed 400th anniversary in year 2010.