Mysuru Dasara to spotlight Tulunadu heritage with two-day cultural exhibition

Mysuru Dasara is expanding its cultural canvas this year to put coastal Karnataka in the spotlight, hosting a two-day festival dedicated to the language, heritage and rural life of Tulunadu.

Organised by the Puttur-based Pajir-Tulu Study Centre, the showcase will take place on 18 and 19 October on a cultural stage built right beside the Vijayadashami Jodukere Kambala venue. The initiative brings the customs of the coast directly to visitors and Kambala spectators gathering in the heritage city, uniting Karnataka's varied regional traditions under a shared state celebration.

What the exhibition offers visitors

The celebrations are built around four distinct programmes designed to give younger generations a tangible link to ancestral knowledge, historical trade and indigenous arts.

At the centre of the display is 'Parappu', an exhibition tracing the daily routines and farming systems of earlier centuries. The hall will exhibit traditional agrarian tools, domestic utensils and customary crafts unique to coastal settlements, paired alongside ancient artefacts sourced from Mysuru itself. Entry to Parappu is priced at ₹50 per person.

Alongside the material culture, 'Panavu' presents a detailed numismatic collection. It brings together historic Indian coins and foreign currencies that circulated along coastal trade routes, tracing commercial ties and monetary evolution through the centuries.

Honouring coastal achievers in Mysuru

The festival also highlights the living contributions of coastal families to the cultural life of old Mysore. Under the 'Tulunadu Manikya' initiative, organisers will honour 25 individuals who moved from the coast and made Mysuru their base, recognising work across literature, education, commerce, art and public service.

The evenings close with 'Ural', a musical programme that weaves together Kannada and Tulu compositions, underscoring the long-standing linguistic kinship between the regions.

Leadership and community presence

Urban Development and Mysuru District In-charge Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the programme on 18 October, joined by Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai.

Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader, Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda, State Kambala Committee president Devi Prasad Rai and Mysuru Kambala Committee convenor Muralidhara Rai will attend the proceedings.

Organisers noted that holding the festival adjacent to the traditional buffalo races gives spectators an easy way to experience rural coastal history first hand, celebrating Karnataka's layered regional identities on one shared platform.