PM Modi, who led the Yoga Day celebrations on the premises of the 'Amba Vilas Palace', noted Mysuru's significant contribution to Yoga.
Organising the main event of the eighth 'International Day of Yoga' in the royal city of Mysuru is being seen as a befitting tribute to the patronage it received under the Maharajas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who led the Yoga Day celebrations on the premises of the 'Amba Vilas Palace', noted the city's significant contribution to Yoga and called Mysuru "the land of spirituality and Yoga".
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"On the occasion of Yoga Day, I bow to Karnataka's cultural capital and the land of spirituality and Yoga- Mysuru. Spiritual centres like Mysuru have nurtured the energy of Yoga for centuries; today, that energy is giving direction for world health," Modi said.
Mysuru royal scion Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and "Rajmata" Pramoda Devi Wadiyar were present at the event. PM Modi drove back to the famous Mysuru palace for breakfast on the invitation from the royal family after inaugurating the 'Innovative Digital Yoga Exhibition' at Dasara Exhibition Grounds.
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On the breakfast menu, prepared by chefs from Fern Hill Palace and Regency Villa in Ooty - owned by the Wadiyar family - were two famous dishes of the city - Mysore Pak and Mysore Masala Dosa, which is popular across the country. Apart from iconic Mysuru dishes, the menu had items from other regions of south India, like Avalakki Uppittu, Pongal, Idli, Maddur Vada, Sambar, Coconut Chutney, Tomato Chutney and Nanjangud Rasabale (banana), among others.
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar said she had written a letter to the Prime Minister, inviting him for breakfast. "I had invited him to come to our house -- it may be a palace for others -- for breakfast when he comes to Mysuru for Yoga Day. I had written a letter to him, and he has accepted it, and we are happy," she said.
Being in Mysuru, the menu will naturally be South Indian, along with PM's preferences, if any, she said, adding that "Mysore Pak, which has origins in Mysuru, is certainly part of the menu, also Mysuru masala dosa...."
Recollecting Mysuru's Yoga heritage, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar earlier said the International Day of Yoga event was a big stamp of approval to that heritage. He added that Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the Maharaja who ruled the kingdom from 1799 to 1868, in his book "Sritattvanidhi", had written about 108 'asanas', and after that, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya started Yoga teaching at the then Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar's insistence.
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar too recalled Maharaja Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar's contributions in laying the foundation for Yoga's spread. "Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar's works and writings on various 'asanas' are with us," she said.
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