Karnataka - Art, Culture & Heritage - Fairs & Festivals @ whatisindia.com

Introduction
The villagers associate themselves with several periodical fairs both inside the village and out of it. The important fairs with in the village are Sri. Vithappa fair observed at the time of Shigi Hunnive and Sri Shidlingappa fair at the time of Shivaratri. Some of the important fairs outside the village are Sri. Veerbhadradev fair at Godachi (Belgaum district), Sri Yellamma Devi fair at Saundatti and Banashankari fair at Badami (Bijapur district).

Sri Vithappa fair is held in honor of Vithappa deity of the village. It is observed for three days immediately after Shigi Hunnive. About 7 to 8 thousand people gather at the time. The deity is taken out in a palanquin in a procession accompanied by about 60 parties of drummers from different parts of the state. The devotees offer sheep to the deity. The Pujari sells them and the amount realized is credited to the temple funds. Devotees bring pure milk and they consider it a good omen if it gets converted into curds before offering it to the deity. Another feature of this fair is that a person from Chunchanoor village, picks out some grains in his palm from some bags kept in the temple. The grain he picks out is then to be the crop which will have rich yield that year.

Sri Shidlingappa's fair is observed on Shivaratri day. On this day the deity is taken in a palanquin accompanied by drummers (Dollu and Majalu) from several neighbouring villages to the river. The deity is then worshipped.

The Godachi fair is an important fair held in the month of Kartik. Godachi is a village in Ramdurg Taluk. This fair is held in honour of Shri Veerabhadra and it is managed by government.

Shri Yellamma Devi fair at Saundatti are held about 5 times between October and February. But the biggest is the one held on the full moon day of Margasira.

Banashankari Devi fair near Badami is held annually in January on the full moon day and lasts for 10 to 12 days. Rathotsava is an important item of the fair. Agricultural implements, utensils and other articles of domestic needs are put up for sale and the villagers make many of their purchases at this fair.

FESTIVALS
Ugadi
Ugadi falls on the first day of the month of Chaitra which marks the beginning of the Chandramana New Year in March-April. This festival is not associated with many rituals. After an oil bath, people wear new clothes, worship their deities and then eat a little quantity of mixture of neem juice, jaggery etc. This is to remind everyone that life is not a bed of roses but is a combination of happy and sorrowful events. Hearing of a new almanac is a significant event of the day. The agriculturists generally start their pre-sowing operations in the field on this day.

Dussera
Dussera is celebrated for 10 days from September end to early October. Although it is celebrated all over India, it has special significance in Mysore, South India. It symbolizes the victory of goddess Chamundeswari (Durga) over the demon Mahishasura. i.e. the victory of the good over the evil. Mysore palace is fully illuminated for a whole month. On the last day, with the accompaniment of a band colourfully bedecked elephant carrying the statue of goddess starts from the palace as a procession with palace chariots and units of the army through the city to Banni Mantap (where Banni tree is worshipped), about five kilometres away. In the evening, there is a torchlight parade by the horse mounted guards who provide an exciting display of horsemanship and the night ends with a great display of fireworks.

Kar Hunnive
This is observed on the Full moon day of Jyestha (June) by worshipping the bullocks and the agricultural implements. A special feast is prepared in the afternoon. In the evening a function called Karihariyodu is performed, in which the chief event is bullocks race. Many pairs of bullocks participate in the running race and the pair which come first is acclaimed by the public. If the bullocks which comes first are red or brown color, it is supposed that red variety of jowar will grow in abundance during the ensuing season and if they are white in color, white jowar is supposed to grow in plenty.

Shravan Mondays
Every Monday in the month of Shravan is considered as a festival day in the village. People offer special worship at the temple of Shidlingappa. They carry the deity in a palanquin in a procession accompanied by music on all the Mondays in Shravana and offer special worship. Many of them observe partial fasting on these days. On the last Shravana Monday they arrange special festivities. They arrange bhajans near the Patrappa tree and feed about 100 people next day.

Nagarpanchami
Nagarpanchami falls on the 5th day of the bright half of the lunar month of Shravana. On this day, newly married girls visit their parents. Swings are put up in the village on which both adults and children indulge themselves without any inhabitation, irrespective of caste, creed or sex. The religious part of the festival consist of offering worship to cobras and snakes by pouring milk. In several houses, clay images of snakes are worshipped.

Gowri Hunnive
This festival observe on the Full moon day of Kartik is participated more by ladies. They worship images of Gowri and small groups of young girls move round the streets singing some songs in honor of the goddess.

Shigi Hunnive
This is observed on the 14th and 15th day of Aswija. It is one of the important festivals in the village and a local fair in honor of god Vithappa, is also associated with it. This fair, which was started about 200 years back, lasts for about three days.

Navaratri or Nadahabb
This festival starts on Bhadrapad Amavasya and continues for about 10 days. On the 9th day weapons, implements of labour etc. are offered worship. On the 10th day which is known as Vijayadashami, the deities of Shidlingappa and Hanuman are taken to the Banni tree in front of Shidlingappa temple. The tree and the sword of the village servants are offered worship by the Police Patil and then the Police Patil cuts a branch of the Banni tree with the sword. This is followed by the exchange of Banni leaves by all the persons who have gathered there. The Banni leaves symbolize Gold and with the exchange of such gold, all past differences, animosities etc. are expected to be forgotten. On this day they arrange special dances by Vagayyas at Sri. Billadeva temple where the deities of Hanuman and Shidlingappa are taken. The following day some people are fed at this temple.

Makar Sankramana
This is observed in the 14th January every year when the sun enters the sign of Capricorn. On this day, the people exchange till and jaggery as a token of their love and affection.

Maha Shivaratri
This falls on the 14th day of the lunar month of Magh and is considered as one of the big festivals in the village. People hold a fair, on this day at the temple of Shidlingappa. Drummers from Ramdurg, Mullar, Narsapur and other villages will gather there and the deity is taken to the river for a bath and worship.

Holi
Holi is a festival of merriment and it is also associated with the singing of many folk songs rather of a vulgar nature. This festival is usually observed in February-March. Burning of wood and replicas of Kama is a feature of this festival. They believe that fields in the direction in which charred wood points on crumbling, will have good crops.

Yellu Amavasya
Yellu Amavasya is observed on new moon day in the month of December and it marks the culmination of the Kharif season. On this day the villagers visit the Maruto temple and in the noon the members of the households go to their respective fields taking along with them a variety of dishes like Holige, bread from bajra flour, a vegetable curry, butter, etc. They pick up five smooth stones from their fields and worship them. Later, a small quantity of the various dishes brought by them is thrown in various directions in the field as a symbol of offerings. The members of the family then sit together in their field along with their guests and partake of the food.

Ramzan
Ramzan is the most important month in the religious year of the Muslims. During the Ramzan month, they take their food only before dawn and again after dusk after offering their prayers in the evening. Severe austerity is the key note of this festival. At the end of the month the Muslims congregate in the central place, offer prayers, and exchange greetings.

Muharram
The Muharram festival is celebrated for 10 days. For 8 days the Mullah sits besides the peeras and worship them reciting passages from Holy Koran. Many among the Hindus also offer worship at the shrine. They take a small quantity of sugar along with them and hand it over to the Mullah who after chanting scriptures returns it as prasadam to those who offered it. On the ninth day groups of young men from Muslims, Bedas, Agasas, Kurubas and other lower communities start dancing in front of the peeras till the evening of the next day to the beating of country drums. On the evening of the tenth day the peeras are ceremoniously removed and they are taken through in the main streets in a procession and later on immersed in a well. Muslim members sing in mournful tone and return home. The tombs of former Jagirdar and his wife is situated in the village Sarjapur which are held in reverence by Muslims and the annual Urs is held during Muharram.

Deepavali
This festival of lights begins on the 13th day of the dark half of the lunar month of Aswija and lasts for about five days. The traders open new accounts on this day. Villagers keep an image of Hattevva made of cow dung on the roofs of their houses and also light oil lamps in front of their houses. An annual car festival which is held under the auspices of Sampangi Ramaswami temple during February-March attracts a large gathering in the village Bannerughatta in Anekal taluk. The village Huskas is noted for the annual festival held in honor of goddess Maduramma during February- March. On this occasion a large cattle fair is also organized.

Reference:
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