Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to inaugurate Mangaluru Dasara on October 12

The 10-day long Mangaluru Dasara festivities will begin at Kudroli Gokarnanatha temple in the city on Sunday (October 11). Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar will formally inaugurate the event on Monday (October 12).

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday (October 7), the treasurer of the temple administrative committee R. Padmaraj, who is also president of Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee, said Mr. Shivakumar will inaugurate the Dasara festivities on the temple premises at 6.30 p.m. He will then honour ace sprinter M.R. Poovamma, who won six medals in the Asian Games 2026, including a gold and silver in the women’s and mixed 4x400 events.

Mr. Padmaraj said the temple had sought ₹2 crore from the government for the 10-day long festival, which will end on October 21. The government has promised a grant of ₹1.5 crore, he said.

He said the festivities at the temple will begin with vedic rituals on October 11 morning, which will be followed by the installation of Sharada and Nava Durga idols at the Darbar Hall on the temple premises. Work is under way to make the hall look like a palace, and it will completed in a few days.

On October 12, A State-level Dasara poet meet, followed by story and poetry competitions, will be held. A dance ballet ‘Rudra Tandava’ will be held on October 13 at 7.30 p.m. The two children from Dakshina Kannada who were winners of the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Season 2 programme, will inaugurate the children’s Dasara on October 15. The ‘Muddu Sharade’ event will be held on October 16.

The popular Mangaluru Dasara Marathon will be held on October 18 morning, and 3,000 runners from across the State have registered. The ‘Mahila Dasara’ event, to be held on October 19, will see women take part in different competitions including cooking without fire, mehendi, group singing, tying flowers and Bharatanatyam. At 8 p.m. there will be group Garba dance event. On October 20, there will be cultural competition event ‘Dasara Rangataranga’.

On each of the nine days, a woman achiever will be felicitated. Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudhir Kumar Reddy, writer B.A. Vivek Rai and playwright Sanjeeva Dandakeri will be presented with Dasara Samman award on October 20. Three social organisations will be felicitated on October 18.

The Shobha Yatra of Sharada and Navadurga idols on the 7-km long route in the city will be held on October 21. Like in 2025, this time too, idols will lead the procession, which will begin at 4 p.m. The tableux that follow the idols will be uniquely designed and there will be bar on the use of DJ systems.

The temple has called upon houses on the procession route to keep their houses well-lit. The MCC will spend on lighting the 7-km long route, Mr. Padmaraj said.