Bangalore Karaga - Bengaluru's oldest & most important festival

Karaga, with its roots going back about five centuries, is one of the oldest festivals celebrated in Bengaluru in honor of Adhishakthi Draupadi. It is led by the men of the Thigala community and is a unique celebration that brings people of different religions together.

Dharmaraya Temple in Tigalpet, Bangalore which is the epicenter of the festival

Legend of the Karaga

When the Pandavas were shown a glimpse of hell, towards the end of Mahabaratha, a demon called Tripurasura was still alive. Draupadi took the form of Shakthi devi and created Veerakumaras - a huge army of soldiers - to defeat the demon . After defeating Tripurasura, the soldiers asked Shakthi Devi to stay back with them. In response, she promised them that she would come to stay with them every year during the first full moon of the first month of the Hindu calendar - this is the day Karaga is celebrated. Thigalas believe that they are the descendent of the Veerakumaras.

The History of KaragaVanikula Kshatriya Thigalas

Legend apart, mystery shrouds the origin of the Thigalas. Some believe that they sprung from the loins of sage Angirasa whose progeny were the founders of most of Southern Indian dynasties.

Meaning of ‘Karaga’?

The word KaRaGa is explained as below -

ಕ - ಕೈಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಟ್ತದೆ - KA - Without touching in hand

ರ - ರುಂಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಧರಾಸಿ – RA - Bearing on the head

ಗ - ಗತಿಸುವುದು / ಚಲಿಸುವುದು - GA - Move/March ahead

During the festival, participants bear the deity on their heads without touching it by hand and march ahead. The Karaga, in its physical form, is a tall floral cone that is balanced on the carrier's head.

Karaga – The Festival of Thigala Clan

The Thigalas believe that Draupadi’s Shakti (power) brims over during the Karaga festival and the Karaga carrier dressed as a female is symbolic of Draupadi. They celebrate Draupadi as an ideal woman and hence, Karaga as an annual celebration of woman-power (Mother Goddess).

The Karaga, the floral cone, is taken in procession from the historic Dharmaraya Swamy Temple in the Thigalara-petey area of the old city, through the night. Along its route, prayers are offered to the Karaga. At the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple itself, people continuously sing devotional hymns, and wait for the Karaga’s return.

The community performs a Vratha (religious practice) for 11 days after Chaitra Shasthi. The various rituals performed during this Vratha are as below:

Dwajarohana – Flag Hoisting Ceremony The festival commences with Dwajarohana on the night of Saptami (7th day of Shukla Paksha, Chaitra Masa). Here, an yellow flag is hoisted inside the temple courtyard on a bamboo flag pole.

Pachu Kargu (Hasi Karga) is carried 
by Karaga all the way from sampangi tank 
to Shri Dharmaraya Swamy Temple

The "Hasi Karaga" (Tender Karaga) is made from the sediment of the Sampangi Tank (one of the oldest tanks in Bengaluru). At night, the Karaga is installed in a mantapa on the banks of the tank.  The Kula Gowda (Community chief) and Veera Kumaras bring the temple Karthas to the temple. The Kula Purohitha (Chief priest) then performs Shuddi Kaarya (cleansing) of the temple followed by Utsava of Arjuna and Draupadi along with the Dwaja (flag). Devotes offer bamboo pole having 48 shoots to the temple as a tradition. After the Dwajarohana, temple the Veerakumaras get into Deeksha (sacrament/penance) by wearing Janivara(A holy band worn over the left-shoulder) and kankana (sacred thread tied around the wrist). With this, the Vratha commences.

Five hereditary clan families are involved in the tradition. All the rituals are steeped in secrecy. From 2nd to 6th days, in the evenings aarthi takes place at the Cubbon Park Shakti Peetha, and then at other 8 water sources.

Shuddi Karya (Purification Act) To receive Adishakthi, it is customary to undergo Thirtha Snana (Holi bath) on the eve of Shakthi Aradhane. Shuddi Karya takes place along with Thrishula, Kalasha, Ghante, etc.

Aarathi Utsava – festival of lights On the 6th day of Karaga Festival i.e. on Ekadashi, an Aarathi Seva is performed. The idol of Potha raja and a Trishula is carried along in the procession to mark the entire area as sacred and poojas are performed all along.

Thigala women folks take over this day and perform aarthi service to community deity Draupadi

 Ladies of the community prepare the aarathi - rice & jaggery are placed along with lamps in the aarathi vessel called as yelkunga and the vessel is decorated with flowers. This is then carried on the heads by the women to the temple. At the temple, women with aarathis go for a "Pradakshana" of the temple at 3 am on the 7th day. This procession will be led by the ‘Garadi Children’ showing their heroic talents like, ‘Kolu Varase’, ‘Kathi Varase’, ‘Kombu Varase’, ’Musti Yuddha’. The Maha Mangalarathi will be held in the temple by around 6 am.

Devotees exhibiting martial arts like Kathi Varasi, Kolu Varasi during Aarthi Depotsava

On the 7th day, i.e. on ‘Thrayodashi’, interested youth are introduced to seek ‘Dheeksha’. The main chariot is purified through shudhi and shanthi karya. After this, the ‘Kankana’, ‘Mudupu’ and ‘Pavithra Dara’ are tied to the north east corner of the chariot, followed by placement of ‘Kalasha’, ’Chatra’,and ’Dwaja’ on the top of chariot.

On the 7th day, the goddess is readied for her marriage, symbolically. She is said to emerge from the kere (tank), fully decked up like a bride, and by another ritual she carries the kalasha (pot). The veerakumaras pay their obeisance to her and escort her to the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple.

Hasi-Karaga is brought from Sampangi Tank to  the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple and placed next to the idol of Dharma. At this point it becomes the Karaga.

Pongal Seve is done by the wives of the Karthas on the 8^th day.

Karaga Shakthyotsava On the 9th day, the goddess and the Utsav murtis are taken in a procession.  The Shakthi Peeta situated in the Sampangi tank bed area, is considered the center of power. Camphor is burnt here as a mark of sacrifice to deity (since Draupadi is believed to be born from fire). Amidst chanting of ‘Govinda-Govinda’ by veerakumaras and their Alagu seva (in which they are known to strike themselves on the chest with their swords), the Karthas offer prayers to Adhishakthi Draupadi. The poojari enters the Shakthipeeta to join the Karthas. The karthas then make way to start the procession from Shakthipeeta to the temple.

The Karaga carrier would be seen as a temporary avatar of Draupadi

The Karaga Bearer lifting the Hasi Karaga along with the sacred staff in the left hand and holds the silver dagger in the right hand

10th day - Potharaja Gavoo Lord Arjuna, Draupadi Ratha and Potharaja (a protector and the brother in law to the Pandavas) are taken on a procession. The purana of potharaja is recited up to 3 in the morning. It is believed that the poojaris then take the form of Lord Potharaja via the chanting of manthras.

Huvina Karaga visiting houses of veerakumaras in Thigalarpete

The 11th day is Vasanth Utsava. The Karaga is expertly balanced on the carrier's head. The carrier, in his temporary avatar as Draupadi, goes to the houses of the veerakumaras where their families perform pooja to the Karaga. The carrier is practically in a trance as he dances along with the veerakumaras (who are carrying their swords). By the time the procession returns to the temple it is dawn.

Moments before Theru Karaga returning to temple

The Karaga returns to the Temple in the morning. Worship is offered at the temple. The Dhwaaja Awarohana (Descending of the flag which was raised on the first day of the Vratha) is held.  The veerakumaras surrender their kankana and sacred threads to the temple. With this, the eleven days Vratha of colourful "Karagashakthyotsava" comes to an end

Note - Karaga priest performs austerities since six months and he wears his wife’s mangala sutra (Holy knot), who gets it back by a marriage ceremony on the 10th day. She is not allowed to see her husband who will reside in the temple until the end of Karaga. So when the Karaga procession stops in front of her house, she, unlike the other devotees cannot come out to be blessed.

The Karaga – uniting all communities

One of the distinctive features of the Karaga is the participation in this festival by people of all creeds and communities. An eloquent testimony to the secular character of this festival is seen just before sunrise when the Karaga procession halts before the Dargah-e-Shariff of Hazrat Takwal Mastan Shah, the 18th century Muslim saint.  In an interesting development, the two religious systems came together at one point in time, and the annual Karaga of Dharmaraya Swamy visiting Tawakkal Dargah became a tradition. When the Karaga-carriers visits the dargah on the day of the Karaga with the Karaga on their heads, the fateha ritual is performed, after which the Karaga-carrier goes round the dargah thrice. He walks the first round, goes around on his knees on the second, and dances around the dargah on the third.

 

 Hindus and Muslims enthusiastically participate in this ritual. This interaction among them is very important because people of both religions have traditionally occupied that part of the city for generations. The religious rituals symbolise communal amity.

Bengaluru Karaga Route

Taking a deity in procession is an old custom in India among many religions. The route that the deity takes is made sacred by its movement on that route. The Karaga leaves the temple located on OTC Road and goes around Cubbonpet, Ganigarapet, Doddapete, Avenue Road, Akkipet, Aralepet, Balepet, Kilari Road, Kumbarpet and Nagarathpet, before reaching the Dharmarayaswamy temple on the morning of April 25. 

Worth a mention

The trademark festival of Bengaluru Karaga now had been found a place on the postal covers. The Department of Posts has released a cover that carries the emblem of the Shri Dharmaraya Swamy Temple. This special postal cover was released by Governor Rameshwar Thakur.



Sources: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore_Karaga
http://bangalorekaraga.blogspot.in/

Images:
Akash Bhattacharya on flickr
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore_Karaga