{"id":874,"date":"2026-10-07T12:13:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mysoretravelo.com\/blog\/?p=874"},"modified":"2026-10-07T12:15:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:15:13","slug":"mysore-dasara-2026-travel-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysoretravelo.com\/blog\/mysore-dasara-2026-travel-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Mysore Dasara 2026: Complete Travel Guide for Visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year the same call reaches our Saraswathipuram office a few days before the festival. A family has just decided to go, the Jamboo Savari is around the corner, and every decent hotel and cab is already taken. If that is you, relax. Mysore Dasara 2026 starts on Sunday, 11 October, and there is still time to plan it properly. This guide comes from Mysore Travelo<\/a><\/span>, a travel agency that has run Dasara week trips out of this city for 15 years. It covers the dates, the schedule, the Jamboo Savari timings, the official ticket route and the small decisions that separate a smooth day from a three-hour traffic jam.<\/p>\n

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Quick Answer:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mysore Dasara 2026 runs for 11 days, from Sunday 11 October to Wednesday 21 October. It opens with a puja at the Chamundeshwari Temple on Chamundi Hill (11:50 AM to 12:13 PM) and ends on Vijayadashami with the Jamboo Savari. The floral tribute to the goddess is between 4:10 and 4:35 PM, and the procession then leaves Mysore Palace for Bannimantap. The palace is lit every evening from 7 PM.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When Are the Mysore Dasara Dates in 2026?<\/h2>\n

The Mysore Dasara dates for 2026 are Sunday 11 October to Wednesday 21 October, as published on the official Mysuru Dasara website<\/a>.<\/span> Vijayadashami, and with it the Jamboo Savari, falls on Wednesday 21 October.<\/p>\n

Many national calendars list Dussehra on 20 October, and neither side is wrong. Mysuru follows the Mysuru Palace panchanga, which goes by the tithi running at sunrise, and at sunrise on 21 October it is still Dashami. So plan your Mysore Dasara 2026 trip around 21 October for the procession, and treat 20 October as Mahanavami, when the palace performs Ayudha Puja from 9 AM. The festival’s history goes back to 1610, and Wikipedia’s Mysore Dasara page<\/a><\/span> covers it well.<\/p>\n

Mysore Dasara 2026 Schedule: What Happens on Which Day<\/h2>\n

The Mysore Dasara festival 2026 is not one event. It is eleven days of overlapping programmes, and nobody attends all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Date<\/th>\nWhat Happens<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
11 and 12 October<\/td>\nThe Chamundi Hill puja opens the festival. The Aahara Mela food festival and the flower show open the same day, and the city’s illumination switches on that evening.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13 to 16 October<\/td>\nThis is the quieter, more local stretch: poets’ gatherings, women’s and children’s programmes at J.K. Grounds, and Heritage Dasara, which starts at the Town Hall at 7 AM with a heritage walk on 15 October and a cycle ride on 16 October.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17 and 18 October<\/td>\nCrowds jump. A drone show starts at 8 PM at Bannimantap on the 17th. Kambala, the traditional buffalo race, runs on 18 and 19 October from 9 AM near VTU College, and was reported as a first for Dasara.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20 October<\/td>\nAyudha Puja at the palace from 9 AM, then the first Torchlight Parade (Panjina Kavayathu) at Bannimantap at 7 PM.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21 October<\/td>\nVijayadashami. Everything else is a warm-up for this day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Jamboo Savari 2026: Timings, Route and Where to Stand<\/h2>\n

For Mysore Dasara 2026, on 21 October the Chief Minister performs the Nandi Dhwaja Puja at the palace between 1:36 and 1:56 PM. The floral tribute to Goddess Chamundeshwari in the golden howdah follows between 4:10 and 4:35 PM, and the Jamboo Savari then leaves the palace for Bannimantap, about 5 kilometres away, with tableaux from all 31 districts walking along.<\/p>\n

Roadside viewing is free, and people claim their spots in the morning. We tell families with children or elderly parents the same thing every year: reach your spot by early afternoon, carry water and a cap, and stand near a side road, not the middle of the route. Once the elephants move, leaving the crowd stops being your decision.<\/p>\n

The day ends at Bannimantap as well. The Torchlight Parade starts at 7 PM and the drone show at 8 PM. Do not plan a quick exit at 9 PM. Stagger your return with a driver who knows the side roads, or buy an official ticket for guaranteed seating.<\/p>\n

Dasara Festival Mysore: What to See Besides the Procession<\/h2>\n

Palace illumination.<\/strong> For most visitors this is the best part of the Dasara festival Mysore puts on. Nearly a lakh bulbs light the palace complex every evening from 7 PM, and till midnight on 21 October. Weekday evenings are calmer than weekends, so if your dates are flexible, aim for 12 to 15 October.<\/p>\n

Food, flowers and culture.<\/strong> Music and dance run daily from around 5 PM. The Aahara Mela is open 11 to 25 October (11 AM to 10 PM), and the flower show at Kuppanna Park runs 11 to 21 October. The Dasara Exhibition opposite the palace usually continues until December. After the finale, the elephants head back on 22 October and the Chamundeshwari Rathotsava is on 24 October, the calmest days to see the city.<\/p>\n

Mysore Dasara Tickets: Buy Only From the Official Portal<\/h2>\n

Gold, Premium and Standard tickets for the procession, Torchlight Parade and drone show are sold at mysoredasara.gov.in\/tickets<\/a>.<\/span> We left prices out on purpose, since you should see the live number. Buy only through that government portal. State officials have themselves flagged alleged misuse of Dasara passes, so check the name and date on anything before you pay. No ticket? The official site streams the procession and palace lights live.<\/p>\n

How to Reach Mysuru and Get Around During Dasara<\/h2>\n

Getting to Mysore Dasara 2026 is easy: Mysuru Junction is connected by rail to Bengaluru and most major cities, and buses run frequently. By road from Bengaluru it usually takes around 3 hours, so add at least an hour on 20 and 21 October. Our Mysore to Bangalore cab<\/a> <\/span>page has the details.<\/p>\n

Inside the city, roads near the palace and Bannimantap close for much of 21 October, and autos vanish after the procession. Parking near the palace after 3 PM? Bhool jaiye. Hire one cab for the whole day instead. The Mysore sightseeing taxi<\/a><\/span> from Mysore Travelo gives you a driver who drops you near the right gate and picks you up from a road that is actually open. Groups of ten or more should look at a Tempo Traveller on rent in Mysore<\/a><\/span>, because splitting a family across two cabs on 21 October is a reliable way to lose each other. Cars run out before demand does, so call today, not tomorrow.<\/p>\n

How Many Days Do You Need for Mysore Dasara 2026?<\/h2>\n

One day covers the palace, Chamundi Hill and the lights. Two days suit most families visiting Mysore Dasara 2026, because the walking and crowds spread across two calmer days. Three days lets you add Srirangapatna and keeps a buffer in case a road closure changes your plan. For stop-by-stop timings, use our guide to the top 10 places to visit in Mysore in one day<\/a><\/span>, or look at our Mysore sightseeing package<\/a><\/span> and Mysore one day trip<\/a><\/span> pages. The state’s own planning help is at Karnataka Tourism<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Practical Tips Before You Go<\/h2>\n