BENGALURU: Bengaluru is gearing up for a full-fledged Karaga festival, which is a symbol of communal harmony, this time after two years of muted celebrations because of the Covid pandemic. The 11-day festivities will begin from Friday at the famous Sri Dharmarayaswamy Temple at Thigalarapete (Kalyanapuri) in Bengaluru.
Even as communally divisive hijab, halal and azaan rows have been rocking the state, moulvis from Masthan Saab Dargha visited Dharmarayaswamy Temple and extended a formal invite for the Karaga procession to visit the dargha on April 16.
“This has been the tradition. Like how Karaga procession touches various temples, including Anjaneya Swamy temples in all four directions of the city, it will visit the dargha too. Karaga is celebrated for the wellbeing of humanity of the entire world (loka kalyana), irrespective of which community people belong to,” said Dr K Lakshmana, a former trustee of Dharmarayaswamy Temple and president of South India Agnikula Vahnikula Kshathriya Mahasangha.
V Jnanendra Vahnikula Gowda will carry the Karaga this year too, as he has been doing for the last 11 years. The organisers are expecting at least six lakh people to witness the Draupadi Devi Karaga Shakthyotsava and Sri Dharmarayaswamy Maha Rathotsava as the procession rolls out of Dharmarayaswamy Temple at 12.30 am on April 16, the Chaithra Poornima Day as per Hindu calendar. It will cover 38 km before winding up.
Puducherry CM N Rangaswamy, who is a Vahnikula Kshathriya, will be the chief guest. Lakshmana said, “It is believed that those who witness Karaga will be relieved of their misdeeds for seven births. The mythology has it that Draupadi descends on Earth for three days a year. On April 16, the Aadishakthi Draupadi Devi will be invoked in the pujari’s body. The bangle-cladding ceremony will be held between 2 pm and 3 pm. Arjuna Kalyanotsava, Draupadi’s marriage to Arjuna in the Godhuli lagna, will be performed in the evening. After various rituals, the ‘Karaga Utsava’ will begin. KaRaGa is the abbreviation for KAiyalli muttade, RUndadalli dharasi, GAthisuvudu — which literally means carrying the deity on the head without touching it and stepping forward. The top most part of the Karaga (agra bhaga) is considered as the position of Vishnu, and it will carry the Kalasha, chathri (umbrella), shanku (conch) and chakra (wheel). The neck position, or kantasthnaana, is the position of Lord Shiva, which will have damaruga (drums) and trishula (trident). The thala sthaana is considered to be the position of Brahma, while the middle portion will have lemons, considering it to be maathru gana (the position of the Goddess).”