The Festival of God | karnataka old culture in village | ಹಡ್ಡ ದೇವರ ಉತ್ಸವ

The Festival of God in karnataka old culture




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Festivals of Karnataka- The A to Z

Raggi Mudde

4 years ago



Karnataka is a vibrant state famous for its grand festivals.  Many festivals of Karnataka are conducted in the name of art, religion, seasons etc. The famous Dussera festival of Mysore to Kambala Buffalo race in Mangalore, the state is full of festivals and fiestas. Karnataka is also known for its heritage and culture; the state has a wide range of celebrations that truly keeps the audience off their feet.

Here are few important festivals of Karnataka:

Ganesha Chaturthi

Ganesha idol in front of Ulsoor temple, Bangalore

The months of August-September one can witness hundreds of rath yathras on the streets of Karnataka. The 10-days festival is celebrated from the Shukla Chaturthi that lasts till the Anantha Chaturdashi. The streets will be clad with wax and clay models of Ganesha and people offering their prayers to the idols.

The 10 days are celebrated with great percussions and poojas with hundreds of people witnessing it. The prasadam offered here is the modak.

The Pooja continues for 9 days till the last of Visarjan which is celebrated with great pomp and mind-blowing percussions and processions. For Visarjan, the Ganapati is taken to a riverside and then immersed into the water.

Hampi Festival or Vijaya Utsava



The festival is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of an ancient poet Purandaradasa. This festival of Karnataka lasts for 3 days. Vijaya Utsava falls in the month of October or November and is celebrated in Hampi as a grand commemoration.

Being a poet’s birthday, the festival is more like showcasing the art and talents of the Kannadigas. The festival is usually accompanied by performances by artists showcasing music, dance and art. Hampi being the cultural centre in Karnataka, celebrate these kinds of festivals with great pompous honoring all the artists.

Vijaya Utsava is conducted in the architectural ruins of Hampi on well-decorated stages with the amazing backgrounds of the ruins. The stage hosts multiple shows, with various prominent and upcoming stars.

Gowri Festival



The festival is celebrated to a day before the Ganesh Chaturthi to pay tribute to the Goddess Gowri for her power to bequeath strength and valour on the people. It is widely celebrated all over India. It is believed that Goddess Gowri returns to her home on that day like a married woman, and the next day Lord Ganesha comes to take her back home.

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During the Pooja, Goddess Gowri is offered a bagina which contains kum kum, turmeric, small mirror, comb, bangles, dal, rice, and coconut.

Karaga Festival



Karaga is a folk dance performed as a tribute to Draupadi.  The ritual is an old festival conducted in Bangalore. The legend says that in the last portion of Mahabharata, Draupadi took the form of Shakti goddess and created soldiers called the veerakumaras to deal with a demon called Tripusara. As Draupadi couldn’t stay for a long time, hence she promised to visit her devotees every first full moon as per the Hindu Calendar.

During this festival of Karnataka rich meals are served. A Karaga carrier, a male dressed up as female all covered in flowers walk to meet the Veerakumaras in the Holy deity form.  The mystery inside the Karaga is still not known, yet the carrier balances it well. At the end of the festival, the Karaga returns to the temple.

Pattadakal Dance Festival

The Pattadakal festival is conducted to honor the famous temples every year in the month of January. This festival of Karnataka is decked up with the performances of the traditional dancers of the state. Along with these grand celebrations, the craft festival is indeed an attention-grabbing one.

The Pattadakal village is located around 20 kms from Badami in the state of Karnataka.  Pattadakal was the second capital of Chalukyas and has some marvellous constructions. The village is famous for the architectural temples that flaunt the splendid carvings and structures. Most of the temples here are devoted to Lord Shiva. The temples of Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna are located here.
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