Karnataka Popular Festivals and Fairs
The Festivals and Fairs of Karnataka open up the colorful kaleidoscope of rich heritage, eternal traditions and culture. The denizens of the cities commence preparations in advance. The local folks decorate their homes, assortments of mouth watering cuisines are cooked and soporific fragrance of flowers/incense sticks binds the air. The festivals and fairs of Karnataka are as follows:
Dusera: The Dusera festival in Karnataka is celebrated with full zeal and glitz. According to legends, goddess Chamundi killed Mahishasura and to mark this occasion, Dusera festival is celebrated by all the sects and communities in Karnataka. The processions followed by caparisoned elephants, people wearing different colorful attires and performing various classical dance forms are the scenes worth to behold. The parades are conducted, competitions are organized and the fragrance of aromatic delicacies binds the air all over. October is the best month when the visitors can make a visit.
Hampi Festival: The ruins of Hampi come alive with the symphony of sounds created by infinite numbers of instruments. All arrangements are made by the state government. The best efforts are made to make this festivity a grandiose event. Similar festivals are celebrated in Halebeedu, Pattadkal, Karavalli, and Lakundi. Other festivals are also organized in consultations with the district collectors of the different regions. November is the month when this festival is organized with great zeal.
Tula Sankramana: The Tula Sankramana festival is the annual event when thousands of pilgrims throng to this city and mark the occasion. The sense of fervor is observed for the goddess, who is believed to upsurge in the form of tide from a small tank. The priests here believe that goddess Cauvery gives darshna to the devotees. The water upsurge is the sign of goddess giving blessings to all pilgrims. This event is known as Theerthodbhava which is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Infinite numbers of travelers visit this sanctum in the month of October.
Vairmudi Festival: The sleepy town of Melkote comes alive with the annual Vaimudi festival. The idol of Lord Vishnu is adorned with the diamond studded crown brought from the Mysore Palace. This nightlong event, part of Brahmahotsvam is celebrated is celebrated for 10 days and witnessed by thousands of devotees.
Kambala: Kambala is an occasion when the bull race is organized every year. The bulls are made to run on the drenched tracks of the farms and the muscled rider used to control it. The rider winning the race gets a reward.
Karaga: Discover the 9-day Karaga, a tradition started and sustained by a Tamil-speaking community of gardeners called Thigalars. The Karaga festival is held at the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple in Bangalore. Just after dusk on the Karaga day between March and April, a priest dressed in female attire leads a spectacular procession to the accompaniment of dazzling swordplay by a number of dhoti-clad, bare-chested Thigalars. On his head, he carries a flower-bedecked pyramid. A unique feature of the Karaga is the unbroken tradition of visiting the tomb of an 18th century Muslim saint every year - this custom has become a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity.
Month: April
Kadalkayei Parishe: Popularly known as the groundnut festival, the Kadalekayi Parishe welcomes the first yield of the groundnut crop. Karnataka`s farmers congregate at the Bull Temple each year to seek blessings for a good harvest. Heaps of different varieties and qualities of groundnuts spring up in the area surrounding the Bull Temple, the Dodda Ganesha Shrine, and the Bugle Rock Park in Basavanagudi, one of Bangalore`s oldest suburbs.
Month: November
Huthri: This harvest festival, literally meaning `new rice crop,` is celebrated in Kodagu when the paddy is ready to be harvested in the months of November or December. The ceremonious cutting of the new paddy crop by the head of the family falls on a full-moon night and is accompanied by chants of "Poli, Poli, Deva" (increase, increase, O God.) A single shot is fired to summon Lord Iguthappa, the presiding deity of the Kodava people of Kodagu.
Banashankari Fair: The annual temple festival at the village temple in Banashankari is more than a religious event. During this time, the streets around the temple are taken over by a huge fair, marked by colour, gaiety, and thousands of attendant devotees.
Month: February to March
Mahamastashisheka: Ceremony carried once in 12 years includes an anointment ceremony of Mahaveer Jains idol. Millions of pilgrims participate in this ceremony and take the blessings of their deity.
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