JOIN USGroundnut fair Kadlekai Parishe is back in Bengaluru
Kadlekai Parishe, Bengaluru’s unique groundnut festival, is back in all its glory on November 21 after two quiet pandemic years. The festival opens on Monday.
Although planned for a day, it usually lingers for at least a couple of additional days. The street opposite the famous Bull Temple hosts a bustling fair. Farmers bring in sacks of groundnut from many parts of Karnataka and the neighbouring states, and sell them here.
Chroniclers of Bengaluru’s history tell Metrolife about the significance of the festival, and urge people not familiar with it to discover its joys.
Suresh Moona
Kadlekai Parishe and Karaga are two representative events of Bengaluru. They reflect quintessential Bengaluru culture. Younger people and techies who have migrated to Bengaluru of late should catch Kadlekai Parishe. They wouldn’t have seen anything like this anywhere in India.
The festival coincides with the Basavanagudi temple car festival, called the Belli Rathotsava.
You see mountains of groundnuts on the road. When I used to live next to Bull Temple Road, I would see people coming to buy groundnuts even after midnight. Kadlekai Parishe is always a festive occasion for people living in the older neighbourhoods of Bengaluru.
Traditionally, people come from villages to sell them groundnuts. They stay at the venue, and cook and sleep there.
That is how it should always be. I feel the charm of the event has to be retained and Kadlekai Parishe should not be mindlessly modernised.
P L Uday Kumar
Generally, people see Bengaluru as a modern city. Some of the festivals we celebrate here, such as Ganesh Chaturthi, are popular elsewhere as well. But if you go to Kadlekai Parishe, you are sure to be pleasantly surprised. Not many have seen this face of Bengaluru. Typically, it’s a ‘santhe’ in a modern setting, with groundnuts being the focus. Finding parking may not be easy, as I discovered when I first visited the fair in 2010.
Where: Bull Temple Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru
When: Starts November 21
Story of the raging bull
Legend has it that in 1537 AD, farmers who grew groundnuts in the area were troubled by a bull which destroyed their crops at night. People thought it was Shiva’s bull Nandi, and it was angry.
The story goes that Kempe Gowda, the king ruling Bengaluru, decided to appease the bull and got a massive Basava (bull) carved in stone atop the hillock in Basavanagudi. A strange phenomenon followed. The sacred bull kept growing in height. Finally, the villagers started to offer their first harvest of groundnuts to the bull. That was when it was appeased, and stopped growing.