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.