Bangalore Karaga - Bengaluru Karaga Route

Bengaluru Karaga Route

The movement of the Karaga in the streets is important in another way too. It brings people of the Thigala community (and others as well) into a common place to participate in the festival in different ways. Such practices are common in cultures around the world. This is important to build camaraderie within the group (in this case, Thigala’s), and among groups (in this case, among Hindus and Muslims).

Taking a deity in procession is an old custom in India among many religions. The route that the deity takes is made sacred by its movement on that route. The sacred route is physically temporary it happens only while the procession is going on. Once the procession is over, people are expected to remember that the route is sacred. This is a way of internalising a sacred mental map.