Bengaluru: Karaga festival to culminate tonight; Traffic advisory issued

In light of the Karaga festival's night-long procession at midnight, the Bengaluru traffic police issued an advisory, providing diversions and alternate routes.

Published on: Apr 6, 2023, 15:14:48 IST

By Yamini C S

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Bengaluru is set to see the much-awaited night-long procession of the annual Karaga festival on Thursday after midnight. In this light, the Bengaluru traffic police department issued a fresh traffic advisory, blocking vehicular movement in some areas and providing alternative routes instead.

The Bengaluru Karaga festival, which will be conducted at the Shri Dharmarayaswamy Temple in Thigalarpet. (HT File Photo)

What is the Karaga festival?

The Karaga is an annual celebration of Draupadi, the community deity of the Vanihikula Kshatriyas, who honour her as the ideal woman representing woman power. This year, the festival has been running since last Wednesday and is set to see a spectacular end in the form of the Draupadi Devi Karaga Shakthyotsava tonight.

READ | Karaga Festival of Bengaluru: All you need to know

Every year, the Karaga attracts lakhs of devotees and tourists from different parts of the city. It takes place at the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple in Thigalarpet, Bengaluru. The end of the celebrations is marked by a night-long procession, which is said to be the highlight of the festival. It is usually held on the full moon night and starts from the temple at around midnight. The procession this year will start at 12 am and end at 6 am on Friday morning.

Diversions and Parking Facilities

To manage traffic congestions and ensure smooth passage of the procession, Dr Suman D Pennekar, DCP West, issued an advisory and said, “Due to the Karaga festival, diversions would be implemented as notified. Commuters make note and kindly cooperate.”

Here are some of the guidelines:

The procession will pass through Nagarthpete, Cubbonpete, Ganigarapete, Avenue Road, Doddapete, Aralepete, Balepete, Kumbarpete, Ulsoorpete and Gollarapete.
Vehicles coming back from the Karaga are prohibited from taking the route from City Market Circle to Mysore Bank Circle via the Avenue Road.
Vehicles moving towards the Karaga from the City Market circle can take a right turn at Mysuru road's ASR road.
People who want to attend the Karaga Utsava can park their vehicles at Bannappa Park and the Town Hall.

“The public is requested to cooperate with the above traffic regulations,” the advisory added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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