Mysore's Wodeyar scion worships royal armoury on Dasara

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Srikantadatta Narasimharaja, scion of the Wodeyar dynasty, worshipped the royal armoury of his dynasty Sunday on the auspicious ninth day (Mahanavami) of the Dasara festival at Ambi Vilas Palace in the city centre.

Dressed in royal robes and sporting the king's headgear, the 60-year-old prince performed the ritual 'Ayudha pooja' in the durbar of the century-old palace amid chanting of Vedic hymns. His family members and hundreds of people thronged the hallowed precincts for a glimpse of the grandeur that marked the 10-day fest over the ages.

The armoury, a treasure trove of about 1,000 weapons of offense and defence, with some of them dating back to 14th century, is a priceless collection of the Wodeyar rulers.

According to palace sources, the armoury consists of a variety of swords, including an elastic sword with a belt that was worn by Kathirava Narasaraja Wodeyar in the 17th century. The sacred sword was also used by his successors such as Vijaya Narasimha during wars he fought in the 18th century.

The armoury, which is kept secured in the 'ayudha sala' of the palace where the scion lives with his royal family, is brought out to the durbar for the Dasara fest.

Among the weapons worshipped on the occasion are a knife bearing the inscription 'chura de 2' of Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar of the 18th century, a sword named 'nimcha', which belonged to Hyder Ali, another sword christened 'Sanva' of Tipu Sultan, and a knife with 'pesh-kabza' inscribed that was used by Krishnaraja Wodeyar III in the 19th century.

Some of the objects in the armoury are small guns, which were presented to Wodeyar III by Colonel Wellesley of the British Army in 1803 at Bijapur in the northern region of the state.

As part of the ritual, the scion also worshipped artifacts in the palace, followed by caparisoned elephants, horses, cows and bullocks, and his collection of vintage cars in the palace courtyard.

The scion also performed rituals in the palace temple and invoked the blessing of Hindu goddess Chamundeshwari.