All about Bangalore KARAGA, Veerakumars\\\'......

{om} {om} {om}Karaga Festival{om}{om}{om}

Karaga Festival that is one of the oldest festival of Karnataka that involves both the religion like Hindus and Muslims. Karaga is the festival of TIGALAS who are Tamil speaking community. The Tigalas, who hold Draupadi as per their foremost deity, trust that Draupadi Shakti (power) brims over during the Karaga Festival.

Arrangements for the Karaga Festival start 15 days previous to Chaitra Poornima by hoisting temple flag on bank of Sampangi Tank (which is located next to Kanteerava Stadium). Special Poojas are held on the sixth day, invoking Draupadi. On the seventh day, the Hasi Karaga (the karaga not sanctified) is formally brought from a salt-water pond nearby. This ritual has to with the legend of a Karaga carrier who once stood in a tank waist-high in water. When he was in a deep meditation when he felt the weight of an object in his hand. He carried it to the Sampangi tank and then to the Dharmaraya Temple where he placed it next to the deity Dharmaraya Swamy.

The Veerakumaras are recruited from the Tigala society three days before the festival. The chosen ones have to take Deeksha from the temple and remain pure and chaste till the Karaga Festival is over. On the ninth day, the temple location is in flames with a fire-walking ritual. The Veerakumaras, bearing their swords and ritually clad in Dhotis, hit the haggard blades against their bare chests even as they dance in fury around the bed of live coals before running over them.

It is believed that it is at this moment that the sanctified and decorated Karaga automatically positions itself on the head of the carrier, who is in isolation .As soon as these preliminary festivities start, the Karaga bearer confines himself to the temple premises, undertaking several preparatory rituals. He takes his bath at nine wells identified for the purpose and is on a diet of just milk and fruits. His arrival at the temple itself is solemn, when he is taken in a procession. As soon as he leaves his home, his wife assumes the role of a widow, and it is her husband who is wearing her Tali (holy necklace of Indian married women). She is not to set her eyes upon him until after the festival, after which the couple are reunited in marriage.

The Karaga route begins at the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple (which is located near Town Hall) and goes through the Old City via Cubbonpet, Ganigarapet, Avenue Road, Dodderpet, Akkipet, Balepet, Kilari Road, Nagarathpet and surrounding areas of K.R.Market. The Karaga carrier, now in his temporary avatar as Draupadi, goes to the houses of the Veerakumaras where their families perform Pooja to the Karaga. Before the procession returns to the main temple.

Karaga halts at the Dargah-e-Sharif of Hazrat Tawkal Mastan, the 18th century Muslim saint. The story goes that Mastan, on hearing that the Karaga was coming, rushed to meet it, but fell down and hurt himself mortally. When the priests revived him by applying kum kum (holy red thing) on his injuries, they healed instantly. An ecstatic Mastan invoked Draupadi's name and prayed that after his death the procession should halt at his Dargah (which is located in K.R.Market).

For the Karaga carrier, the swords have an alarming connotation because by tradition they are supposed to stab the Karaga carrier if he loses balance and falls. Auspiciously, this has never happened in the long history of this festival. This is not happened because I being a Tigala I’m also a one of Veerakumara, I believe our god Karaga like anything, luckily the above said didn’t happened from past my great grand father’s time.

{{{{{{{Draupadi Karaga}}}}}}}
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