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About Bangalore / Bengaluru |
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Area |
2,190 sq.kms. |
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Geographical Location |
Latitudinal
parallels: 12 degree 8' N,
Longitudinal meridians: 77 degree 37' E
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Altitude |
3000ft.
above sea level |
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Population |
65.2
lakhs (6.52 million) |
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Literacy |
83.91
% |
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Density |
2978.6
per sq. km. |
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Language |
Kannada,
English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil are widely spoken and understood |
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Temperature |
Highest
Maximum of 33 degree C |
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Lowest Minimum of 14 degree C
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Climate |
March
to May (warmest months)
December to January (coldest months)
June to September
(rainy - southwest monsoon)
November to December
(rainy - northeast monsoon) |
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Rainfall - Actual |
1,060
mms |
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State |
Karnataka |
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STD Code |
+ 080 |
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ISD Code |
+ 91 |
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| Reaching
the city |
By Air
Bangalore Airport is 13km east of the city station. Regular flights operate from
Bangalore to Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Panaji,
Kochi etc. Bangalore has direct international flights to Sharjah, Muscat and
Singapore.
By Train
Bangalore is well connected to the rest of the country both by metre gauge
and broad gauge rail services. It is an important railway station on the
southern railway net work.
By Road
Approximate Distance By Road
Bangalore is located at the junction of National Highways 47 and 48 which well
connect it to all part of the country with roads. All neighbouring state road
transport corporations, from Kerala , Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra
and Goa, connect the city with their respective states. In addition the
Karnataka state Transport Corporation also runs reciprocal services to all part
of the state as well as inter-state.
Local Transport
The city bus service is efficient and economical but is usable only during
non-peak hours. The other common modes of transport in the city are metered
auto- rickshaws and tourist taxis. KSTDC maintains a fleet of cars for hire. The
number of yellow tops is limited in the city |
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| Festivals |
Karaga - Oldest and most important festival in Bangalore
For 18 days, chronicles of the Mahabharat, the Pandavas and the Kauravas fought
heroically on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. In every spring an echo of that
grim struggle is heard in Bangalore during Karaga, the metro’s oldest and most
important festival. Infused with mythological theme and a rich seam of folklore,
Karaga is in a sense a celebration of India’s rich cultural and religious
heritage.
The roots of Karaga go back over five centuries, and to the Tigala community
which has kept the festival alive over the centuries. Mystery shrouds the origin
of the Tigalas. By one account, the Tigalas sprung form the lions of the sage
Angirasa whose progeny were the founders of most of the dynasties of South
India. Yet another account attributes the origin of the Tigalas to Agani, the
Goddess of fire in the Hindu pantheon. The Puranas (scriptures) say that
Draupadi emerged as the embodiment of an ideal woman. The Tigalas, who hold
Draupadi as their principal deity, believe that Draupadi Shakti (power) brims
over during the Karaga festival.
Truly there is a power, indefinable but nevertheless pulsating furiously as the
Karaga festival, particularly the night long procession gets underway to the
throbbing of drums and cries of dik-dhi and Govinda from the surging crowds of
devotees. The Karaga, after which the festival gets its name, is a symbolic
pyramidical floral structure, which is carried on the head of a person selected
to be the Karaga carrier. The Karaga carrier is taken from his home by the
members of the Dharmaraya Temple, Ulsoorpet. Immediately after that, his wife
takes on the role of a widow. Her mangal-sutra (necklace symbolizing marriage)
and bangles are worn by her husband, and she is not to see him or the Karaga
until the conclusion of the festival.
Traditionally, the festivities begin with the recitation of mantras
(incantations) and the hoisting of a ceremonial flag on the banks of Bangalore’s
Sampangi tank. On her seventh day the Hasi-Karaga (tender Karaga) is brought
from a salt water pond near the Dharmaraya Temple. Legend has it that the Karaga
carrier while in deep meditation in the waist deep water in the pond suddenly
feels a weight on his head. Holding the object like he would have a baby, he
goes to the Sampangi tank. Then the object is brought back to the Dharmarya
Temple and placed next to the Dharmarya Temple and placed next to the idol of
Dharma. At this point it becomes the Karaga.
The festival of the Karaga is awaited by hundreds of bare chested, dhoti-clad
and turbaned veerakumaras (brave youth) brandishing named swords. Only a member
of the Tigala community can be a veerakumara. Fire-walking, these young men
dance around while striking their blades against their bare chests. If blood
should ooze out, it is considered an indication of the veerakumara’s failure to
adhere to the ritualistic formalities required for the occasion. Amidst fire
walking and frenzied dancing, the Karaga carrier emerges from the temple,
surrounded by the these men the Karaga balanced on his head. For the Karaga
carrier, the swords have a menacing significance because by tradition they are
supposed to stab the Karanga carrier if he loses balance and falls. Fortunately,
this has never happened in the long history of this festival.
One of the distinctive features of the Karaga is the participation in this
festival by people of all creeds and communities. An eloquent testimony to the
secular character of this festival is seen just before sunrise when the Karaga
procession halts before the Dargah-e-Shariff of Hazrat Takwal Mastan, the 18th
century Muslim saint. According to legend, Mastan was once hurt when he rushed
to have a glimpse of the Karaga procession. The temple priests applied kumkum
(vermilion) to his wounds. An overjoyed Mastan prayed to Draupadi that the
procession should halt at his dargah (grave) after his death. This tradition has
been maintained over the years, giving a distinct secular flavour to the
festival.
Kadalekeya Parishe (Nov-Dec)
It is celebrated at the Bull temple includes a ground nut competition. It marks
the harvest and the farmer's first collection is offered to the Nandi. |
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