Silver Chariot

If you have been fortunate to attend and observe at close quarters the great Dasara festivities of the past and if not, you may have stood in the great courtyard to witness the last scion of the Wodeyar Royal family coming out of the palace sitting in silver carriage drawn by a pair of draught cattle on his way to worship the Shamee tree in the precincts of the Bhuvaneshwari temple in the Palace grounds. The cattle whose distinctive clean lines and white color marks them as belong to the famous Amrit Mahal cattle breed, a heritage breed of livestock of Karnataka.

Flanking the Prince’s carriage are liveried servitors who swirl silk cloth fans (udees pavaday), yet others whisking Yak hair.

A little digression here is needed. In the 40s and 50s, youngsters would be gifted Hornby toy train sets and one would added this and that till one had a full-fledged railway station with trains coming and going. The Dasara Procession doll set is something like that. You begin with the basic set piece and keep adding other pieces till you have your own customized Dasara processions.

Bombe Mane has created a replica of the silver carriage that could be a mantel piece, a talking point on your coffee-table---or form a part of the Dasara tableaux that you will be establishing in your den or wherever you find place.