Mysuru Palace hosts Dasara from 11 to 21 October
Published on 10/04/2026 at 03:58 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Mysuru Palace and Mysuru Dasara 2026 are linked by an 11-day programme running from 11 to 21 October 2026 in Mysuru, India. The festival places cultural performances, evening illumination and its closing procession around the historic palace.
The programme also gives visitors a defined period in which the palace forecourt becomes part of the city-wide celebration, while the main museum and architectural interiors remain a separate part of a visit.
Dasara brings concerts and processions to Mysuru Palace
The official programme lists the cultural stages and venues for Dasara 2026, including evening performances at the Palace stage. The programme runs from 11 to 21 October 2026, with the official Dasara programme naming the dates and locations.
The palace illumination begins on 11 October 2026 and is scheduled each evening from 7pm to 10pm during the festival. On 21 October 2026, the Jumboo Savari leaves the Palace for Bannimantap after the Pushparchane ceremony, making the building the starting point of the festival's best-known procession.
The programme contains more than the procession. It includes cultural performances, a flower show at Kuppanna Park from 11 to 21 October 2026, a food festival at Maharaja's College Ground from 11 to 25 October 2026 and a public heritage programme beginning at Town Hall on 15 October 2026.
The 1912 palace frames Dasara's royal ceremonies
The current palace is also called Amba Vilas Palace. It is a three-storey Indo-Saracenic building designed by the British architect Henry Irwin and built between 1897 and 1912, according to the Mysuru district history.
The building replaced an earlier wooden palace destroyed by fire in 1897. Its notable spaces include the Durbar Hall and Kalyanamantapa, while the complex also contains a residential museum, temples and shrines.
That history gives the 2026 programme a specific setting: the Palace stage and illumination use the same complex whose Durbar Hall is associated with the Golden Throne displayed during Dasara. The festival therefore connects a contemporary public programme with the building's surviving royal and ceremonial spaces.
What the festival changes for a Palace visit
The official schedule distinguishes between the Palace interiors, the forecourt evening programme and the procession route. A traveller can therefore combine a daytime architectural visit with a festival event, but the Palace stage is ticketed and the Jumboo Savari follows a separate ceremonial timetable.
The 21 October 2026 procession day is the most significant access date in the programme. The schedule places the Nandi Dhwaja puja at the Palace from 1.36pm to 1.56pm, the Pushparchane from 4.10pm to 4.35pm and the procession's departure at 4.35pm.
Visiting Mysuru Palace: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Dasara 2026 runs from 11 to 21 October 2026, with Palace-stage performances and illumination scheduled during the festival.
- The Jumboo Savari leaves Mysuru Palace for Bannimantap on 21 October 2026 after the Palace ceremonies; the procession and Palace-stage programme are separate from the interior visit.
- The palace stands in central Mysuru, and the official programme places the procession route from the Palace to Bannimantap. The listed festival venues also include Kuppanna Park, Maharaja's College Ground and Town Hall.
- The complex includes the Durbar Hall, Kalyanamantapa, a residential museum, temples and shrines. Its courtyards and ceremonial rooms are part of a large historic palace complex rather than a single-room attraction.
- India's national currency is the Indian rupee, and English is used alongside Hindi and regional languages in public life.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Mysuru Palace
When does Mysuru Dasara take place at Mysuru Palace?
Mysuru Dasara runs from 11 to 21 October 2026, with Palace-stage performances and illumination during the festival.
Where is Mysuru Palace and how do you get there?
The palace is in central Mysuru, India. The official programme identifies the procession route as running from the Palace to Bannimantap.
What is Mysuru Palace?
It is a three-storey Indo-Saracenic palace designed by Henry Irwin and completed in 1912 after construction began in 1897.
