The nine day long Karaga festival, celebrated in the month of March/
April, is the oldest and one of the most important festivals
of Bangalore. It is celebrated 15 days after Ugadi. The distinctive feature
of this festival is the participation of people from all communities.
Primarily Karaga festival is celebrated by the Vanikula Kshatriya Tigalas,
the Tamil-speaking community of Southern Karnataka. Adishakti Draupadi
is their community deity and the festival is observed in honour of the
goddess.
'Karaga' is a metal pot with a pyramidical floral arrangement on the
top which symbolize the goddess of power 'Shakti'. It is carried on the
head of a selected person or a priest and is immersed in the Sampangi
tank. The Karaga carrier wears the mangalsutra and bangles of his wife
who stays at home and does not see him or the procession. He is supposed
to undergo a rigorous ritual for over six months of the year.Dressed in
female attire, the carrie leads the night long procession starting and
ending in the Dharmarayaswamy temple in Nagarathpet. According to legend,
Hazrat Takwal Mastan, a Sufi saint was a good friend of a Hindu priest.
It was the saint's dying wish that the 'Karaga' stop at his mausoleum
first after leaving the temple. And the tradition has been religiously
kept alive even after 300 years of saint's death. The spectacular procession
is accompanied with the throbbing of drums and dazzling sword plays. Devotees
also carry pots decorated with flowers on their heads to test the strength
of their character.
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