The annual Bengaluru Karaga, one of the oldest community festivals in the city, will begin at the Dharmarayaswamy temple at Thigalarapet around Friday midnight. Called ‘Shaktyotsava’, the festivities, which began on April 14, will see a procession go through the old pete areas of the city well into the morning. The festivities will end on April 24.
The Karaga started with the ‘Prarambhotsava’ (flag hoisting) on April 14, followed by ‘Deepotsava’ on April 19.
Karaga is an integral part of the identity of the Tigala community in the region. To draw more people to the festival this year, the festival committee has set up a website with information on the festival and the community.
“We have also requested the BMTC to arrange special buses from the villages to old pete area and are awaiting a positive response,” said the former Mayor P.R. Ramesh, who leads the Bengaluru Karaga Festival Committee.
Traffic restrictions
With as many as 18 pallakki s expected to move into the pete area from 8 p.m., the police have announced restrictions on vehicular movement from 9 p.m. on Friday to 8 a.m. on Saturday.
