Planning to visit Mysuru Dasara this year? Here are five things you must know

Mysuru Dasara will be celebrated for 10 days from September 21 Bar-coded passes are mandatory to watch the Vijayadashami procession from the Palace The Golden Chariot is also offering special packages exclusively for the festival

With just a month - September 21 - to go for this year's 'Nada Habba' Mysuru Dasara, preparations are in full swing. Every year, the ten-day grand festivities will attract tourists from all across the globe. Special events are being planned for this year too like from sky diving to travelling in hot air balloon. However, the main attraction of the Mysuru dasara would be the Vijayadashami procession. Arjuna, the 57-year-old elephant will be carrying the 750-kg golden howdah on the Vijayadashami day.  Already, the first batch eight elephants have reached the Mysuru palace and will be joined by another batch soon.

If you are planning to be a part of Mysuru Dasara, here are five things you must know

1. This year, the district administration is issuing bar-coded passes for the grand Dasara procession to prevent illegal entry. In association with the private service provider, BookMyShow, the passes will be issued. This is for the first time that the district administration is issuing passes with the bar codes. So far, the passes are not available yet.

2. Following good response to special flights 'Akasha Ambari' between Mysuru and Bengaluru, the State government could continue the service, this year too.

3. Not just that those visiting Mysuru could also take a royal journey in the Golden Chariot. The services of Golden Chariot will be available from September 23 to 29 from Yashvanthpur railway station.

4. Although, the dasara is being celebrated since 1610, this is for the first time that a permanent logo has been launched. Every year, creative artistes were called in to design the logo but this year, the Congress government has come up with the permanent fixture. The logo has howdah of goddess Chamundeshwari with the howdah elephant and mahout.

5. This time too, 57-year-old Arjuna will carry the 750kg golden howdah. This is for the seventh consecutive year that Arjuna will be carrying the golden howdah. Till 2015, it was the gentle giant Balarama who had carried the howdah and he has the record for being the howdah elephant for 13 consecutive years.