The Karaga festival, which has been celebrated in the state of Karnataka for more than 300 years, is one of the state's oldest festivals. It will take place from April 8 to April 18 this year and will conclude with a night-long procession, which has been postponed for the past two years because of the increasing COVID-19 cases in the country.

The festival is held every year in March or April, or in the Chaitra month according to the Hindu calendar, and is one of the most important festivals in India.

In addition to celebrating Karnataka's rich cultural and religious heritage, the festival has strong ties to the Thigala community, a Tamil social group that can be found in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, but is notably prevalent in the city of Bengaluru and in Southern Karnataka.

Although the Karaga is a small shrine, it draws thousands of believers and tourists from all around the city each year. In celebration of rituals and traditions that have their roots in the epic Mahabharata, particularly the stripping of Draupadi and the exile of the Pandavas, and the death of Draupadi's sons by Ashwathama, the festival is held for 11 days and is a celebration of rituals and traditions that are held in memory of Draupadi.

It is a celebration dedicated to and honouring Draupadi as the perfect woman and the Goddess of Strength (Shakti), who evolved as a symbol of strong and ideal women as a result of the trials and tribulations she was subjected to during her life.

A mud pot is the literal meaning of the word 'Karaga.' As a result, a mud pot is balanced on the head of a bearer, together with a tall floral pyramid and an idol of the Goddess. For centuries, the contents of the pot have remained a mystery.

The bearer, dressed in female attire, must balance the Karaga on his head without touching it. Hundreds of of'veerakumaras,' dressed in dhotis and turbans and wielding unsheathed swords, herald his arrival at the festival.

At the festival, the bearer's wife plays the role of a widow. Her husband wears her mangalsutra and bangles throughout the celebration, and she is forbidden from seeing him or the Karaga until the occasion is over.

The festival is held every year at the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple in Thigalarpet, Bengaluru. This night-long procession, which is regarded to be the highlight of the festival, takes place on the full moon night and starts around midnight at the temple.

To conclude the festivities, worshippers shower turmeric water on one other and submerge the Karaga in the salt water pond from whence it was brought the next day.