English
Karaga, considered to be one of the city’s oldest festivals, that is usually celebrated with much fanfare is all set to kick off on April 8 and will conclude on April 18. The festival will take place at the Shri Dharmarayaswamy Temple in Thigalarpet, Bengaluru on Friday night, it is returning after the pandemic-induced break. The festival is known as a symbol of communal harmony and integrity between Hindus and Muslims for over 200 years.
According to a report in Deccan Herald, around 6 lakh people are expected to attend the Draupadi Devi Karaga Shakthyotsava on April 16.
Chickpet MLA Uday B Garudachar told the publication, “All of us are excited (about the festival), preparations are on in full swing to make it a grand success.”
To make it a successful festival, the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) has cleaned up the drains and roads surrounding the temple. The civic body is working towards filling potholes and repairing streetlights in the surrounding roads.
The festival depicts the cultural and religious heritage of Karnataka and it is associated with the Thigala community- a Tamil social group found in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The Karaga festival is celebrated by the Vahnikula Kshatriya (Thigala) community on Chaitra Poornima day of every year in reverence of Adhishakthi Draupadi.
The ritual will kick start at 10 pm on Friday with ‘rathotsava’. The night-long procession is the highlight of the festival and takes place on the full moon night.
Karaga means a mud pot- carrying the deity on the head without touching it and stepping forward.
Devotees splash turmeric water on each other to end the celebrations.
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest Articles News on India.com.
