The Hands Behind Mangaluru Dasara: Meet the People Who Make the Festival Happen

Every October, Mangaluru changes colour. Temples glow with lights, drums echo through the evenings, painted tigers dance down the road, and families from every corner of the coast head towards Kudroli.

Mangaluru Dasara is one of the most loved celebrations in Coastal Karnataka, and this year it runs from October 11 to 22. It is also a festival with many hands behind it: temple committees, volunteers, priests, artists, children's groups and city helpers who work for weeks so that everyone else can simply enjoy the celebration.

This is a happy guide to those hands, and to everything waiting for you at the festival.

Kudroli: The Heart of the Celebration

The best-known Dasara celebration is held at the Kudroli Sri Gokarnanatha Kshetra. The temple was founded in 1912 by the community leader Sahukar Koragappa and consecrated by the social reformer Sri Narayana Guru, who named it Gokarnanatha. In its early years it was a modest shrine. Today it is known across the country for its Dasara.

The temple was renovated in 1991, and the modern Dasara celebration grew from that moment. Published accounts credit B. Janardhana Poojary, long associated with the temple, with introducing the festival in that form. The tradition of installing the nine Navadurga idols also began in 1991. In 2026, the festival is again being held under his guidance, with the temple's administration board and development committee and a large team of volunteers making the preparations.

This year the idols of Sri Mahaganapathi, Sri Adishakti, the Navadurgas and Goddess Sharada, the goddess of knowledge, are installed in a palace-style Durbar Mantapa, designed specially for the celebration.

Your Day-by-Day Guide to Dasara 2026 at Kudroli

The programme runs for more than a week and has something for every age. Vedic rituals began on October 11, with the installation of Goddess Sharadamba and the Navadurgas at noon. Cultural evenings with national, international and local artists are held at the Santoshi Kala Mantapa from October 11 to 20, between 2:30 pm and 11:30 pm. Each day, an accomplished woman is honoured on stage with the "Asamanya Stree" award, and community organisations including Hidayah Foundation Mangaluru and Sevanjali Farangipete are recognised for their service.

Mangaluru Dasara 2026 at Kudroli, Key Dates

One Festival, Many Temples

Mangaluru Dasara is a festival the whole city celebrates together, and several temples hold their own Navaratri traditions.

Mangaladevi Temple, Bolar. The temple that gave Mangaluru its name celebrates Navaratri with special pujas on all nine days, devotional programmes and a chariot festival, the Rathotsava. Learn more about the temple and the city's many festivals in Mangalore Diary's People of Mangalore guide.

Sri Venkataramana Temple and Acharya Mutt, Car Street. The much-loved Sharada Mahotsava here dates back to the early 1920s and celebrated its centenary in 2022. It is a festival of learning, devoted to Goddess Sharada, and it welcomes people from all walks of life. The story of the Konkani communities behind it is told in Migration Stories: How Goan Catholics, Konkani Merchants, Kerala Neighbours and Other Newcomers Shaped Mangaluru. Please check with the temple for the 2026 programme.

Around the region. Bantwal's Dasara at Sri Tirumala Venkataramana Swamy Temple runs from October 16 to 22, and Puttur celebrates with the Putturda Piligobbu tiger-dance event on October 17.

Tigers, Tableaux and Yakshagana: The Colour of the Shobhayatra

The Shobhayatra is the moment the festival spills out of the temple and into the streets, and it is a feast for the eyes. The procession carries the idols of the Navadurgas, Mahaganapati and Sharada, accompanied by flowers, decorative umbrellas, tableaux, bands, chende, folk dances, Yakshagana characters, Dollu Kunitha and the famous Pili Yesa, the tiger dance. Traditionally, it passes through Kudroli, Mannagudda, Ladyhill, Lalbagh, K.S. Rao Road, Hampankatta, Car Street and Alake.

Pili Yesa troupes are a joy in themselves. Young performers painted as tigers dance to the beat of the Tulu drum band called thaase, honouring Goddess Sharada, whose favourite animal is the tiger. Competitions such as Kudlada Pili Parba 2026 (Season 5), at Kendra Maidana on October 18, give these artists a stage to shine. To meet the art form behind the Yakshagana characters, read Yakshagana's Living Legends.

A City in Festive Mood

Dasara season is also a time for dance and music across Mangaluru. Garba and Dandiya nights fill the evenings, including Mangaluru Dandiya 2026 on October 16 and 17 at AJ Grand Elite, Yekkur, and the Navaratri Celebration & Dandiya Night 2026 at Goldfinch Hotel. Young music lovers can look forward to Mangaluru Yuva Dasara 2026 – 40 Years of Gurukiran Nite at Karavali Utsava Ground.

Building owners across the city have been invited to light up their premises for the season, and the Kudroli area is dressed for the occasion.

Plan Your Visit

1. The big moment: the Shobhayatra begins at 4 pm on October 21 and is known to continue late into the night.
2. Getting there: city police have advised commuters to use alternative routes around Kudroli during the festival, so allow extra travel time and consider public transport.
3. For families: the Makkala Dasara competitions on October 15 and the Aksharabhyasa on October 20 are made for children.
4. For everyone: Chandika Homa is open to public participation every morning from October 12 to 20.

Share your Dasara photos and stories with us through Mangalore Diary's contributor page.

A Festival That Belongs to Everyone

What makes Mangaluru Dasara special is not only the lights or the idols. It is the sight of a whole city turning up: grandparents who remember earlier years, children seeing the tiger dancers for the first time, neighbours greeting each other in Tulu, Konkani, Kannada and Beary.

When the Shobhayatra leaves the temple at 4 pm on October 21, the roads fill with music and colour, and every person who stops to watch becomes part of the celebration. That shared joy is the festival's real strength, and it is what everyone behind the scenes works for.

Happy Dasara, Mangaluru.

More From Mangalore Diary

Events

1. Mangaluru Dasara 2026 — the Kudroli festival listing
2. Mangaluru Yuva Dasara 2026 – 40 Years of Gurukiran Nite
3. Mangaluru Dandiya 2026
4. Navaratri Celebration & Dandiya Night 2026
5. More events near the festival: Kudroli, Kodailbail and Lalbagh

Business

1. Goldfinch Hotel, Mangaluru — a hotel listed near the Kudroli temple and the venue of a Navaratri Dandiya night this season

When is Mangaluru Dasara 2026