Karaga festival in Bengaluru to Kick off tonight; night-long procession returns as Covid ebbs

Bengaluru, Apr 08: Karaga, considered to be one of the city's oldest festivals, is celebrated in honor of Goddess Shakti with much fanfare. It will be held from April 8 to April 18 this year and end with a night-long procession. The festival is known as a symbol of communal harmony and integrity between Hindus and Muslims for over 200 years.

An exquisitely decorated earthen pot carried on people's heads with no support is used to invoke Goddess Shakti during the nine days of its celebrations.

Being one of the best festivals in Bangalore, the festival owes its ethnicity to the Thilaga community of the Vahnikula Kshatriyas in the southern part of Karnataka.

The 11-day long festivity was to culminate with the Karaga being taken out in a grand procession from the Dharmarayaswamy temple on April 8.

The Karaga festival is celebrated by the Vahnikula Kshatriya (Thigala) community on Chaitra Poornima day of every year in reverence of Adhishakthi Draupadi.

The festival celebrates and honors Draupadi as the ideal woman and the Goddess of Strength (Shakti), as she emerged as a symbol of strong and ideal womanhood after all the trials and tribulations she was put through.

Significance: Invoking Goddess Shakti through Karaga
When: March or April
Where: Dharmarayaswamy temple
Duration: 11 days