Festival · 4 Nights · Mysuru, Karnataka · October 2026
The Mysore Palace ablaze with a hundred thousand bulbs, the caparisoned elephant bearing the golden howdah, and the grand Jamboo Savari procession - Karnataka's royal Dasara.
Private & Fully Customizable
Every journey we plan is completely private and shaped around you. We craft this route in three lengths - all fully customizable to your dates, pace and budget:
Why this journey
Mysuru Dasara is the grandest royal festival in southern India, a tradition of the Wodeyar kings stretching back centuries. For ten days the city celebrates the goddess Chamundeshwari, and every evening the great Mysore Palace is illuminated by a hundred thousand bulbs into a glowing fairy-tale.
The climax is the Jamboo Savari - a magnificent procession in which a caparisoned elephant carries the golden howdah and the idol of the goddess through the streets, followed by tableaux, dancers and cavalry, ending with the torchlight parade.
We pair the royal spectacle with the cool coffee hills of Coorg - a journey of grandeur and green calm.
Mysuru has kept Dasara as a royal spectacle for four centuries. Through 11 to 21 October 2026 the Mysore Palace blazes nightly with nearly a hundred thousand bulbs, and on the final Vijayadashami day comes the Jamboo Savari - the idol of the goddess Chamundeshwari borne on a golden howdah atop a caparisoned elephant, leading a five-kilometre procession of tableaux, horses, camels and massed bands from the palace to Bannimantap, where the evening closes with a torchlight parade.
Major Attractions
The Itinerary
A representative 5-night flow timed to Dasara. The palace illumination is nightly; the Jamboo Savari falls on the final day (Vijayadashami).
Bengaluru → Mysuru (≈3 hrs)
Met at Bengaluru and driven to the gracious royal city of Mysuru, dressed in its finery for Dasara - and your first sight, after dark, of the Amba Vilas Palace outlined in nearly a hundred thousand light bulbs, a glittering apparition against the night.
Highlight The Mysore Palace blazing with light against the night, every line of it picked out in gold.
Mysuru
The opulent palace by day - a riot of stained glass, carved teak and gilded halls - the hilltop Chamundi temple and its giant monolithic Nandi, the flowers, sandalwood and incense of the Devaraja market, and the festival spilling through the streets.
Highlight The vast painted Durbar Hall of the Mysore Palace in the morning light.
Mysuru
The grand finale - the Jamboo Savari, when a caparisoned elephant bears the golden howdah and the goddess Chamundeshwari through the streets in a five-kilometre procession of tableaux, dancers, horses and massed bands, closing with the flaming torchlight parade at Bannimantap - all from a vantage we arrange.
Highlight The lead elephant, draped in gold, bearing the howdah past roaring crowds.
Mysuru → Coorg (≈3 hrs)
A change of pace - up into the cool coffee highlands of Coorg, a plantation walk among the bushes and pepper vines, the tumbling Abbey Falls and the great Tibetan Golden Temple at Bylakuppe, after the grandeur of the festival.
Highlight Mist drifting through the coffee bushes after the colour of Dasara.
Coorg → Bengaluru · Departure
A final estate breakfast before the drive to Bengaluru for your onward flight.
Where You Stay
Representative stays - a Mysuru palace-hotel and a Coorg estate. Festival demand is high; book early. Confirmed with your quote.
A white former royal guest-palace, in keeping with the festival city.
A plantation-style luxury resort in the coffee hills.
The illuminated palace, the golden howdah and the Jamboo Savari procession.
The Detail
Pricing
Indicative lead-in price for the festival season. Premium stays and seating are quoted on request - book early.
Common Questions
Good to Know
Dasara runs 11-21 October 2026; the Jamboo Savari procession and torchlight parade fall on Vijayadashami, 21 October, and the palace is lit nightly, roughly 7-10 pm.
Mysuru is about 3 hours from Bengaluru by road or rail. We base you near the palace for the illuminations and the procession route.
An Indian e-Visa is all that is required.
History-lovers, families and photographers. We secure good vantage over the Jamboo Savari and time your visit to the palace lighting.
Light clothing for warm October days, a layer for the evening, comfortable shoes, and a camera for the illuminated palace.
The boulder-strewn ruins of Hampi, the coffee hills of Coorg, or the temples of southern Karnataka.
Continue Exploring
NatureCoffee estates and the Mysore Palace - southern Karnataka.
HeritageVijayanagara ruins and Chalukyan temples - inland Karnataka.
GuideCoorg, Hampi, Mysuru and all our Karnataka tours.
Plan Deeper
Go deeper on the destinations along this route - what to see, where to stay and when to go:
Tell us your dates around Dasara - we'll arrange the procession viewing and the journey around it. A thoughtful proposal follows within 24 hours during office hours.
Planned and hosted by our own team in Kolkata — the same people who filmed this route. Meet us.
Read our booking and cancellation terms before you enquire.
Prefer to talk first? WhatsApp us or call +91 74497 70077.