The Bangalore Karaga-Celebrating Draupadi’s legacy

Draupadi, a woman celebrated for not just her loyalty and sacrifice but also for her stoic heroism is considered the epitome of femininity in India. Draupadi was the daughter of King Drupad who ruled over the kingdom of Panchal and hence one of her many names is “Panchali” as she was the princess of the kingdom of Panchal. King Drupad studied with Drona who was the son of Rishi Bhardwaj, it is said that the two pupils under Rishi Bhardwaj developed great compatibility and an everlasting friendship so much so that the then crown prince promises Drona that whatever be it so they shall divide every article between themselves and that their bond of friendship would be an everlasting one. Thus, years later an impoverished Drona presents himself to King Drupad seeking his friendship and assistance, however by then Drupad realizing the difference between their status refuses to acknowledge Drona and his wishes thus humiliating him. Eventually, Drona gets noticed by Bhishma who was the grand-uncle of the Kauravas and Pandavas (collectively termed as the “Kuru” princes) who is impressed by Drona and appoints him to tutor the Kuru princes, after his tutelage Drona in order to test his pupils and seek revenge against Drupad commands the princes to win over Panchala and bring Drupad, the princes succeed and a distraught Drupad who has lost his entire kingdom is brought before Drona who is content with his revenge and returns half of Drupad’s kingdom. An enraged Drupad seeks revenge and performs Putrakameshti (a ritual performed to gain offspring) although he has other children who according to him are not suitable, and thus out of fire are born Dhrishtadyumma and Draupadi to avenge Drupad’s humiliation. Draupadi was born a fully grown woman with ravishingly long, dark curly hair, lotus-shaped eyes, and a beautiful bronze complexion, her body is said to have been as fragrant as a lotus and her fragrance is said to have been felt from the distance of one Yojana and she is thus also referred to as Yojanagandha. Draupadi would soon be secured by Arjun (the greatest warrior prince amongst the Pandavas) in her Swayamwar but as destiny had it she is wed off to all five of the Pandavas as Kunti states that Draupadi is to be divided equally between the Pandavas, it is from here that her legacy starts as she is deemed as the most trusted confidante of the Pandavas staying beside them and protecting them from all odds despite facing humiliations in the form of the infamous vastraharan where the Pandavas almost lose her to Duryodhan and constant other harassments.

Karaga Shaktyotsava

Draupadi remains the focal point of the epic Mahabharat due to her resilience and strength and is considered an incarnation of “shakti/agni”. Despite a longstanding legacy not many know that one of India’s oldest festivals the Karaga Shaktyotsava celebrated in Bangalore, Karnataka by the thigala community is dedicated to celebrating Draupadi’s legacy, it is believed by the thigalas that as the Mahabharat culminated there was a demon named Thimirasura who was left and hence Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas takes the form of aadhishakti and creates an army known as the veerakumaras from her head, shoulders, ears and mouth who defeat the demon, after fulfilling her purpose Draupadi who is then set on returning back to the heavenly abode is touched by the devotion of the veerakumaras promises them that on every full moon of the first month of the Hindu calendar she would visit them for a period of three days while insisting that they had to follow their dharma by protecting women and ever since then, the thigalas who believe that they belong to the community of the veerakumaras commemorate Draupadi by celebrating the Karaga every year to welcome her arrival. Karaga literally means to balance a deity on one’s head without any support from the hands whereas Shaktyotsava means to celebrate the aadhishakti and hence the Karaga is celebrated for 11 days wherein a man is dressed as a woman to celebrate femininity and female power and carries a triangular floral arrangement placed on a pot above his head and walks across parts of the city starting from the much famed Shri Dharmraya Swamy Temple with other members of the thigala community, devotes and tourists, throughout a period of 11 days the Karaga is witness to hymns and dancing while food is distributed for free to everyone present.

Celebrations

On the first day of the karaga festival a yellow flag is hoisted to start the celebrations, from the second day till the sixth day devotees and community members offer prayers by conducting the Gange pujas and giving offerings in temples dedicated to Annamma Devi, Lord Ganesha, and Lord Shiva, on the sixth-day women offer prayers and conduct an aarti deepotsava by lighting several lamps and inviting priests to their home, the women then carry elaborately decorated floral arrangements on their heads amidst dancing and singing and make their way towards the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple. On the 7th day or the Hasikaraga day, the Karaga carrier carries the karaga on his waist and moves along with devotees and community members towards the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple. The 8th day is also referred to as the Pongal day as women prepare Pongal, which is a traditional south Indian dish made of rice, milk, and sugar.

On the 9th day, the karaga procession continues and on the 10th day, a Shanti pooja is conducted. The 11th day is when the festival comes to an end by celebrating vasantotsav or spring festival and the yellow flag is hurled down. For a duration of 11 days, the karaga carrier is supposed to stay away from his family and follows a strict vegetarian diet, the wife of the karaga carrier gives up her mangalsutra, sarees, and jewelry and lives like an unmarried woman till the last day of the festival when her husband finally returns.

Celebrating Diversity

A striking feature of the Karaga Shaktyotsava is that it attracts people from all religions, behind the Dharmraya Swamy temple is the Dargah of Hazrat Tawakkal Shah a well-revered Sufi saint from the period of Hyder Ali (father of Tipu Sultan), and what astonishes one is the fact that it is ritualistic for the Karaga procession to stop here and seek blessings in order to prevent the floral arrangement from falling as locals believe that Hazrat Tawakkal Shah was once wounded during one of the Karaga processions and was eventually healed by few of the temple priests and hence the Sufi saint wished that the procession must stop by the Dargah every year. Each year during Karaga the Hindus and Muslims both celebrate Draupadi’s legacy by visiting each other’s shrines and seeking blessings, in fact, it is a custom of locals regardless of their faith or background to visit the temple and dargah to offer their prayers and thus though much ignored it seems to be true that Draupadi indeed seemed to change and shape India by not just redefining womanhood but by also bridging the gap between different communities through a common celebration of her legacy.