Mysuru all set to host winter festival to woo tourists
After the extravagant Dussehra, Mysuru is all set to woo tourists with its winter festival. With aim to attract the year-end crowd, the state tourism department has inaugurated the winter festival on December 22.
The festival is organised by the Mysuru District Administration, Karnataka Tourism Department and the Mysore Palace Board, in association with the city-based hotel, tourist taxi associations.
The district tourism administration is expecting a footfall of more than 3 lakh during this big holiday season. The winter festival or Maaghi Utsav is a 10-day event, with the majestic flower show held at the iconic Mysore Palace premises being the major attraction. This is the fourth year that the flower show is being held, showcasing 20,000 flower pots arranged in different patterns, with the flower model of the Lalitha Mahal Palace reaching 21 feet in height, 70 feet in length and 10 feet in breadth.
There will be a 17-foot tall statue of the erstwhile monarch, Maharaja Jayachamaraja of the Wadiyar dynasty, on the occasion of his hundredth birth anniversary. Also, renowned comic characters like Mr. Bean, Chota Bheem will also be featured in floral statues to cater to the youngest of visitors.
The whole palace will also be illuminated like at the times of Dussehra from 7pm to 9pm. Other than the flower show, there will also be open street festivals featuring puppet shows and other cultural activities, movie screening and guided heritage walks and cycle tours.
There is a dedicated food festival held at Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry, which will focus on tribal and organic foods, as part of the event. There are also opportunities for paramotoring at the palace premises itself. A fireworks exhibition will also be held on December 31st.
As part of the event, the district administration, along with the Forest Department,is organizing a limited bird watching tour for nature enthusiasts and bird lovers. Kukkarahalli lake, Varakodu lake, Lingambudhi lake, Hebbal lake and other wetlands have been chosen as the venue of the event after a technical session held at Mysore Zoo. The 100-odd bird enthusiasts will be divided into 20 small teams, and an admission fee of Rs 200 will be charged per individual.