11th International Day of Yoga: from palace to heritage sites, yoga to unfold at cultural landmarks

It will be a convergence of yoga and heritage during the 11 International Day of Yoga to be held on Saturday.
For, there will be simultaneous yoga performance blending the age-old wisdom of yoga amidst the rich architectural setting of heritage sites including the iconic Mysuru palace, Dariya Daulat Bagh in Srirangapatana, Halebidu, and the Keshava Temple at Somanathapur.
While the Archaeological Survey of India is conducting the yoga sessions at the three heritage sites of Dariya Daulat Bagh, Halebidu, and Somanathapur, the Mysuru district administration is organising the event on the palace premises to set the tone. The Department of Ayush and Mysuru Zilla Panchayat is involved in the events to be held at the palace.
At Somanathpur Keshava temple which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, senior officials of the Ministry of Education will take part. According to local sources, about 1,200 school children will take part in the yoga day event for which arrangements are in place. The host institution is Central Institute of Indian Languages and the Regional Institute of Education, Mysuru.
While showcasing the rich tourism potential and heritage of Karnataka, the yoga day will highlight the imperatives of attaining inner harmony through yoga besides the obvious health benefits.
At the Mysuru palace, about 15,000 people will take part in the event, in which participants from various yoga institutions in the city will perform as per the standard protocol issued by the government. The district in-charge Minister H.C. Mahadevappa, MP for Mysuru Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, MLA T.S. Srivatsa, and others will participate.
There are scores of yoga institutions in Mysuru which has emerged as a hub for learning the ancient Indian discipline and the genesis of it is traced to the encouragement and patronisation to yoga imparted by the Wadiyars of Mysuru.
Some of the legendary yoga gurus like B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, etc., who popularised the discipline all over the world, learnt yoga from Tirumalai Krishnamacharya who was patronised by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and taught at the Mysuru palace. In 2022, Mysuru was the venue for the main yoga day event which was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the run-up to the finale slated for Saturday, the Department of Ayush, in association with various stakeholders including the Federation of Yoga Associations, had a 21-day pre-event activities to encourage people to take part in the event and take to yoga on a regular basis for physical and mental well-being.

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