300-Year-Old Karaga Festival In Bengaluru To Be Held In April: All You Need To Know
The nine-day annual festival is held at the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple. It is celebrated by the Tamil-speaking community of gardeners called Thigalars.
One of the oldest and largest religious festivals in the Karnataka capital - the Bengaluru Karaga will be held from April 15 to 23 this year.
The nine-day annual festival is held at the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple, one of the oldest Hindu shrines in Bengaluru.
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What is Bengaluru Karaga?
It is celebrated by the Tamil-speaking community of gardeners called Thigalars, who settled in the city centuries ago.
The Dharmaraya Swamy Temple is around 800 years old and was built by the Vanihikula Kshatriyas, who according to their tradition are the successors of Veerakumars, an army founded by Draupadi in her battle against a demon called Timirasura.
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Mahabharat connection of Bengaluru Karaga
It is believed that at the time of her death, these Veerakumaras begged Draupadi not to leave them. Draupadi instead promised to return each year during the full moon day of Chaitra month in the traditional calendar. Karaga festival is celebrated each year to mark the return of Draupadi in the form of Adishakti.
Bengaluru Karaga procession
One of the most unique features of the festival is the procession that starts from the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple.
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The procession is led by the chief priest, who is dressed up in a woman's attire and carrying 'Karaga' which is a large mud pot.
The priest carries the 'Karaga' which also has a tall floral pyramid and an idol of the Goddess throughout the procession.
The priest has to balance the Karaga on his head without touching it
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His arrival at the festival is announced by hundreds of ĄŽveerakumarasĄ¯, who are clad in dhotis and turbans, bearing unsheathed swords.
In 2009, Shankar Narayan, the then president of the Dharmaraya Swamy temple trust and Karaga festivities became the first woman to lead the festival carrying the Karaga.
The festival is also known as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity as the Karaga procession stops at the Hazrat Tawakkal Mastan Dargah, a Sufi shrine located at Cottonpete.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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