BENGALURU: Any conversation about Dharmaraya Swamy Temple is incomplete without a mention of the Bengaluru Karaga, for which people of Thigala community wait an entire year.
The procession that starts from the temple goes around other temples in the city and stops at Dargah-e-Shariff of Hazrat Takwal Mastan Shah, the 18th century Muslim saint. “The procession travels for 26 km on Chaitra Poornima day every year,” says Prakash, a priest at the temple.
He guesses that the temple was built about 1,500 years ago. The record available is only of 800 years though. In the Muzurai records, this temple is the oldest in the city, dating back to 1200 BC, and is maintained by Muzurai department through Vyavasthapana Samithi (managing committee).
“It was built by people from Ganga Arasu community,” says Chalakari Narayanswamy, spokesperson of the temple.
Just as the origin of the temple is hazy, there are other gaps in the recording of its history. It is just the beliefs and the stories heard from ancestors that make for most of what is known.
Worship of Draupadi
It is Goddess Draupadi who is the main deity in the temple. Also in the sanctum are Dharmaraya Swamy (Yudhishtira), Krishna, Aadishakti, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva and Bhimasena. Udhbhava murti of Ganesha is also worshipped here.
There is a Sri Chakra which is believed to be made by a Naga sadhu. “It is so old that the stone may powder if we touch it,” says Chetan J, from the Thigala community and founder of bengalurukaraga.com.
He adds that it is believed that Naga sadhus taught Thigalas the ways to worship the Aadishakti before handing over the temple to them.
Architecture
“It might’ve been a small temple with the deity and garba graha (sanctum sanctorum) and would’ve been developed even after the city was founded in 1537,” assumes Arun Prasad, historian and researcher.
“The sanctum sanctorum is made in the Ganga style of architecture and the white pillars inside that are made in the Pallava style,” says Chetan.
“The additions to the outer portions were made at different stages,” Arun mentions. “The gopura is built in the Pallava style and open Mukhamantapa (porch) with four pillars would have been added in 19th Century. The structure is dominated by Vijayanagara architecture,” he says adding that the interest in the temple grew after the formation of Bengaluru.
Stories of Carvings
Three carvings on the temple have been around since its beginnings. Narayanaswamy points to the southern wall with the carving of a mother and child. He says, “We retained it as it is.” Then, there is the Veerakumara’s image. Veerakumara is a soldier created by Draupadi during the end of Mahabharatha.
Behind the sanctum sanctorum is the third carving, of a snake, with a curious story. Prakash says that the snake’s body was once a flat carving and it began rising with passing time. “I’ve only heard about it,” he adds.
Yashaswini Sharma, an architect and researcher, in her book ‘Bangalore: The Early City’ mentions that the temple is located in Tigalarapete, an area inhabited by Thigala (Kannada word to denote Tamil speaking Vanneru people) community. Arun Prasad says, “It is located close to Ulsoor Gate, an opening for the fort.”
Thigalas came to Bengaluru to tend its gardens, says Arun. “About thousands of them migrated to the city in the late 18th century when Hyder Ali, impressed by their gardening skills, gave them an invitation to settle in Bengaluru. The gardens mainly included Lal Bagh and other small gardens which were present in the city during that time.”
According to Prakash, even the height of the Dhwaja Stambha was raised some years ago, but he is not aware of the year when the change was made.
Temple Myths
Believers say that the Dhwaja Stambha (flag pole) of this temple is located right in the middle of the Bengaluru city (also called as fort area or the old city area) – the area marked for the city by Kempegowda (who gets the credit for establishing the city in 1537).
But Arun Prasad begs to disagree since it wouldn’t be so geographically.
One is left to believe that the temple is the only one for Pandavas in India. But again Arun Prasad says that it’s just a belief. “This temple is well known because of the Karaga festival. There might be others which are not as well-known,” he says.
Lakshmi Sha, another priest at the temple, pegs the success of the businessmen in Bengaluru fort area to the Karaga festival. “Bengaluru is considered to be a rich city. We believe it is because of the procession we take all over the city. It spreads peace and prosperity among the people living in that area,” he says.
Bangalore Karaga
While karagas are believed to have been around since the time of Mahabharatha, Arun Prasad says that the karaga in Bengaluru became known after the Thigala community migrated to the city in late 18th century.
Bengalurukaraga’s Chetan says that the migration happened after the Mahabharata war, which historians and archaeologists date to 1000 BC.
Karaga Festival
This temple is most known for its karaga festival, which is more popular than Mysuru Dusura Festival. “Karaga begins with the flag hoisting ceremony,” says Chalakari Narayanswamy. Yashaswini Sharma infers that the festival flag of the temple is yellow and mounted on a long bamboo pole with 101 rings, sometimes 56, which is brought from the Jaraganahalli forest on the southern side of Bengaluru by twenty-five Thigala (Vanhi-kula Kshatriya or Veerakumaras) families before the festival begins.
It is a nine-day festival which ends after the procession stops at different temples in the fort area – Shakthi peetha (Sampangi Tank), Yellamma Temple of S R Nagar, Muneshwara Temple of Sudhamnagar (Hoovina Thota), Mariswamy Mutt at Dandupalya, Kalisipalya, Gavipura Guttahalli-Gavigangadhareshwara Temple, Shakthi Ganesha temple, SKR Market, Annamma temple, Kalyanapuri near Majestic and not to forget The Dargah of Tawakkal Mastan.
“The customs haven’t been changed ever since,” says Chalakari Narayanswamy.
Arun Prasad calls the festival “unique” as it connects the water body with a religious belief as the karaga stops at the Sampangi lake to perform a puja to the lake. And another connection he notes is that the puja is performed by gardeners (Thigalas).
“Environment and religious belief is well connected through this,” he says. The Thigalas worship panchaboothas and full-moon day.
Then there’s the karaga’s stop at the dargah: “The karaga bearer takes the blessings of the Muslim saint before returning to the temple... a show of religious harmony among all the communities,” says Arun Prasad.