Pramoda Devi Wadiyar clarified that the ambari was handed over a few minutes after 2 p.m. and there was no delay by the palace authorities. | Photo Credit: M A Sriram
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru has flagged the poor crowd management at the Mysuru Palace during Jamboo Savari.
Responding to the reported delay in the floral offering or pushparchane to Goddess Chamundeshwari, the deity placed in the golden howdah atop the caparisoned elephant, in the foreground of Mysuru Palace on Saturday (October 12, 2024), Ms. Wadiyar sought to clarify that there was no delay by the palace authorities in handing over the ambari. The ambari was handed over a few minutes after 2 p.m., she said.
Referring to media reports that the reason for the delay was the late handing-over of the ambari to the concerned personnel, Ms. Wadiyar shared a copy of the acknowledgement received from the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Palace Security, on behalf of the City Police Commissioner that the golden howdah had been received for the Dasara procession at 2.05 p.m. on October 12.
While she dismissed the charge — that there was a hold-up due to late transfer of the golden howdah by the palace authorities — as an “irresponsible” statement, Ms Wadiyar, however, said the delay did cause anxiety among them as well.
Path blocked by govt cars
Apart from poor crowd management, Ms. Wadiyar said the path through which the ambari was being shifted to hoist atop the elephant was blocked by government cars and a private bus ferrying government guests.
“Despite our best efforts to do everything meticulously and ensuring the smooth conduct of the event, and in spite of the Ambari being ready, the concerned members of the staff had difficulty in shifting it due to poor crowd management and blocking of the way with a few government cars and a private bus ferrying government guests/attendees enroute the designated place to hoist the same on the elephant,” she said in the statement.
Ms. Wadiyar said she had to issue the statement to clarify the misunderstanding regarding the time of handing over of the ambari while adding that there is “no offence intended”. However, she said that the issue needs to be addressed in the future to avoid unnecessary anxiety to all concerned.
Published – October 13, 2024 02:08 pm IST
