IN PICS: GRAND Dussehra celebrations in Mysore

Thousands descended upon the heritage city of Mysore, 120 kilometres away from Bengaluru on Thursday, to witness the grand finale of the Dussehra celebrations.

Balram, the elephant was as usual the star of the show this year too.

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Balram, who carried the 750 kg golden howdah with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari celebrating her victory over demon Mahishasura was colourfully decorated, and was cheered along his journey.

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This is the 13th time that Balram has been assigned the role of carrying the Golden Howdah. He was accompanied by 11 other elephants.

The other attractions of the show comprised tableaux representing the 34 districts of Karnataka, camels among other attractions.

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A replica of Bangalore Metro, which is scheduled to start chugging in the tech-hub from Oct 20, was a highlight this year.

Chief Minister D V sadananda Gowda and scion of the erstwhile Mysore royal family Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar also witnessed the event, before offering floral tributes to the ancient Nadi Dwaja at the palace temple.

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The nine-day festivities attracted thousands from across the country. All through the nine days, various programmes were organised, which ranged from skits and folk songs among other events.

In addition, a heritage walk was also organised in order to understand the historic city better.