Festive Karnataka

As colourful as colours could get. As grandiose as grand could get.
Mysore Dasara
8-17 October 2010.

Dasara
Treat yourself to the pomp and pageantry of the Dasara Festival in Mysore. This festival commemorates the victory of the Goddess Chamundi by slaying the demon Mahishasura. Pageants, parades, and music create a kaleidoscope of colour and gaiety. Crowds jostle to catch a glimpse of the glittering palace. On the last day, a colourful procession of soldiers in ceremonial dress, cavalry, infantry, caparisoned elephants, and colourful tableaux, wend their way from the palace gates to Bani Mantap, where the torchlight parade and a magnificent display of horsemanship mark the grand finale.


In Madikeri, Dasara is marked by a procession of beautifully lit temple cars, and a prize is given for the best decorated temple car.
Month: October

Bangalore Habba

The Bangalore Habba is the city’s biggest cultural festival. It brings together the very best of India’s dance, music, drama, poetry, handicrafts, visual arts, cuisine and much more, with a special focus on Karnataka. This unique festival which runs for many days, attracts artistes from all across the country.

Month: December


Cultural performance during Bangalore Habba

Hampi Festival (Vijaya Utsav)

The ruins of Hampi come alive with the strains of music and sounds of dance, when the State Government holds the Vijaya Utsav to recreate the grandeur of the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire. Similar festivals are held in Halebeedu, Pattadakal, Karavalli, and Lakkundi. Other district festivals are held in consultation with the District Commissioners of different districts.

Month: November


Image Courtesy : Stark World Publications

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

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.
Month: November/December


Image Courtesy : Stark World Publications

Maha Mastakabhisheka,Shravanabelagola

Once in 12 years Shravanabelagola witnesses thousands of devotees participating in the spectacular ceremonies for the Maha Mastakabhisheka (sacred head anointing ceremony) of the magnificent statue of Bahubali. The ritual has been carried out with a regular periodicity of twelve years. The last one was performed in 2006 and the next will take place in 2018.

Kadalekayi 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. 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.

Month: November

Kambala (Buffalo Race)

When the fields are flush with water, buffaloes race down a slushy track, egged on by strong-muscled farmers who surfs their way down the track behind the beasts, while balancing precariously on a trailing wooden plank. A riot of colour, frenzied cheers, and shining torsos slick with sweat, mark this annual sporting event where the prize goes to the swiftest. Get swept away by the excitement of the Kambala Buffalo Race, a rural sport in southern coastal Karnataka, which originally began as a royal pastime, and was later continued by the feudal lords of the Tulu region.


Buffalo racing season: From November to March in Baradi Beedu, Bolantur, Kolatta Majalu, Bajagoli, Puttur, Kamalakatte, Uppinangadi and Kolakebylu.

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: March/April


Image Courtesy : Stark World Publications

Tula Sankramana

Come October, the people of Kodagu look forward to this annual festival. It is believed that Goddess Cauvery appears in the form of a sudden upsurge of water in a small tank, to give darshan to the innumerable devotees gathered here. This event is known as Theerthodbhava, which is celebrated with much festivity in Kodagu. Thousands flock to witness the event, seek the goddess’s blessings, bathe in her waters, and carry back bottles of holy water from the source of the river.

Month: October

Vairamudi Festival
The sleepy town of Melkote comes alive during the annual Vairamudi Festival, when the deity of the hill shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu is adorned with the legendary diamond-studded crown brought from the Mysore Palace. This night long event, which is part of the 10-day Brahmotsavam, is witnessed by thousands of devotees.
Month: March