The entire stretch of Avenue Road leading up to Dharmaraya Swamy temple in the city will light up on April 19 as more than 800 women carrying traditional lamps will participate in 'Aarati Deepa' as part of the centuries-old Karaga festival.
As the week-long celebrations related to the festival began on Thursday night with the hoisting of a flag (Dhwajarohana), all eyes are now on the grand 'Aarati Deepa', which the organisers claim would be different this time.
The chairperson of the Karnataka Slum Development Board, P R Ramesh, the convener of the Karaga Organising Committee, said that besides the participation of a large number of women in the event, a team from Tamil Nadu would perform a Shiva-Parvathi dance.
"This is for the first time such a large number of women will be participating in Karaga, a festival Bengaluru has been celebrating for 300 years," said Ramesh.
He said the event would be followed by Hasi Karaga on April 20 when rituals would be performed at Sampangi Tank (now Kanteerava Stadium). On April 21, 'pongal' will be offered to the goddess and served to devotees in the form of prasadam. The following night, a discourse on Hindu mythology will be held. The key event of the festival will be Hoovina Karaga, where a nobleman from the Thigala community will hold the Karaga, which resembles a crown-like headgear decorated with flowers, on his head and march from Sampangi Tank to the 800-year-old Dharmaraya Swamy temple.
The festival mainly revolves around Thigalas, who call themselves Vanni Kula Kshatriyas, the warrior clan having links with the Chola dynasty. Thigalas believe they emanated from Draupadi, the central female character in the Mahabharata. Draupadi is believed to have created Thigalas to fight demon Tripurasura.
As the week-long celebrations related to the festival began on Thursday night with the hoisting of a flag (Dhwajarohana), all eyes are now on the grand 'Aarati Deepa', which the organisers claim would be different this time.
The chairperson of the Karnataka Slum Development Board, P R Ramesh, the convener of the Karaga Organising Committee, said that besides the participation of a large number of women in the event, a team from Tamil Nadu would perform a Shiva-Parvathi dance.
"This is for the first time such a large number of women will be participating in Karaga, a festival Bengaluru has been celebrating for 300 years," said Ramesh.
He said the event would be followed by Hasi Karaga on April 20 when rituals would be performed at Sampangi Tank (now Kanteerava Stadium). On April 21, 'pongal' will be offered to the goddess and served to devotees in the form of prasadam. The following night, a discourse on Hindu mythology will be held. The key event of the festival will be Hoovina Karaga, where a nobleman from the Thigala community will hold the Karaga, which resembles a crown-like headgear decorated with flowers, on his head and march from Sampangi Tank to the 800-year-old Dharmaraya Swamy temple.
The festival mainly revolves around Thigalas, who call themselves Vanni Kula Kshatriyas, the warrior clan having links with the Chola dynasty. Thigalas believe they emanated from Draupadi, the central female character in the Mahabharata. Draupadi is believed to have created Thigalas to fight demon Tripurasura.