Bangalore Karaga:Time table

One of the oldest festivals of Bangalore and surrounding cities , which is called Karaga is celebrated on first moon day of the Hindu new year. This year it falls on this week ( 29th March  to 4th April)  and I am trying to give you some timetable to help you attend and enjoy this week full of events. Sorry , bit late from me as I was travelling   but still it might be useful for those who are  living in Bangalore. The photos are from last year’s Karaga festival. A detailed info on Karaga is available on Wiki and this is the link.

Back side of Dharmaraya temple, Bangalore

Devotees making the festival car ready

A all time Karaga visitor near the temple

(Please note that the dates and time is given as per Hindu day and in bracket the day is given out as per English calendar)

29.03. 2012, 10 PM ( sorry , I told you , I am little late 😦   )      Event begins at Dharmaraya Temple , K R Market with a small carfestival (ರಥೋತ್ಸವ )

  3 PM Flag Hoisting   ( ಧ್ವಜಾರೋಹಣ )    which is  the mark of start of the event.

2 AM in the night!

A light moment at the temple

Every year he will be there!

3.04.2012  , 3AM night   ( technically Wednesday Morning 3 am )  Aarathi celebrations

Hundreds of women , girls will carry oil lamps  decorated with Jasmine flowers and   walk through  the streets of Tigalara Pete  before reaching the main temple at morning 3am .There will be some procession of fire breathing , mock sword fighting etc which will bring the old practices in to life.

Check out some photos here !

A martial art show by Tigalas in from of the temple

A fire breathing show

Aarti is decorated from Jasmine flowers

The beautiful Aartis !

And the aarti parade

The K R Market flyover gets a makeover!

4.04.2012 ,  3 am night ( technically Thursday Morning 3 am )   Hasikaraga (ಹಸಿ ಕರಗ )

This happens near  Sampangi Lake  Shakthi Peetha . The Karaga carrying gentleman will go ot this lake and will carry a small Karaga from  waist deep water in the pond. He will carry the Karaga back to Dharmaraya temple.

5.04.2012 , 3 am night ( technically Friday morning 3 am )       ಪೊಂಗಲು ಸೇವೆ,  ( a special rituals)

6.04.2012,  Midnight  12 PM  The great Karaga main event , car festival etc.

This is the main event of the day and my greatest experience last year is a body crushing crowd ! It is very difficult to photograph unless you are in a good location standing. I was simply pushed  and carried away by the crowd to a different place for a simple mistake I have done. That is I stood in the crowd to get a better picture !!! Check the photo!

A girl awaits for the biggest moment on her father's shoulder!

This is the crowd that greeted me!

On the left is the festival car

This is all I could get. I was in a wrong location in fact and I did nothing but just went in the direction where crowd pushed me! That is Karaga in the middle carried by Tigala main priest dressed as woman

After Karaga in a nearby small temple

7.04.2012,  2 am (  or Sunday morning 2 am )   ಪುರಾಣ ಪ್ರವಚನ  ( A priest reads out Hindu mythology ) and some other programs

8.04.2012   Sunday  4pm     ವಸಂತೋತ್ಸವ and  12 PM Flag Hoisting   ( ಧ್ವಜಾರೋಹಣ )    which is  the mark of end of the event.

So have fun and let me know your experiences if you did attend!