Karaga procession to follow dargah visit tradition

The Bengaluru Karaga procession will stick to the traditional route and visit the Hazrat Tawakkal Mastan Dargah in Cottonpet as is the practice, the organisers said on Friday, the first day of the festival.

The city’s most prominent festival, held at the Shri Dharmarayaswamy Temple in Thigalarpet, marks a full-scale return after two years.

Rituals will begin with a ‘rathotsava’ (chariot procession) at 10 pm on Friday while flag-hoisting will take place at 3 am on Saturday. The rituals may go on until 5 am on Saturday. The festival will conclude on April 18, the organisers said.

During the festival, a man dressed in a sari and carrying an earthen pot and a floral pyramid on his head goes around Bengaluru's old Pete areas.

Communal harmony

A visit to the dargah during the 300-year-old festival is a sign of communal harmony, organisers and other stakeholders said.

"The practice has been followed for years now. Every Muharram, representatives of the dargah visit our temple. Similarly, our procession will visit the dargah," said P R Ramesh, MLC.

The assertion comes amid objections to the stopover at the dargah raised by Hindu right-wing groups.

Uday B Garudachar, BJP's Chickpet MLA, said the festival was celebrated by all communities.

M N Anucheth, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), warned of action against anyone obstructing the religious practices planned by the organising committee.

"All preparations to ensure safety and manage the crowd have been taken. We will ensure that all the religious practices planned by the organising committee go on smoothly," he said.

About 450 police personnel and 38 senior officers in addition to cops from the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) will be posted on the final day of Karaga to ensure safety. "Traffic diversions have also been planned and will be notified soon," Anucheth said.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has earmarked Rs 50 lakh for the celebrations. "We have ensured that the surrounding roads are cleaned and repaired. We have also deputed our medical officers to deal with any emergency," Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said.

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