Karaga festivities begin on Friday night at Dharmaraya Swami temple in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: The city will witness the famous annual Karaga celebrations at the Dharmaraya Swami temple at Thigalarpet on Friday. The festivities will start at 10 pm on Friday and go on up to April 14.

The Karaga procession, known as the Karaga Shaktyosava, will be taken out on April 12 by temple priest A Jnanendra. This will be the 15th time he will be carrying the Karaga and about 20 lakh people are expected to participate in the celebrations this year.

The car festival and flag hoisting will be held on April 4, special pujas and mangalarati will be held from April 5 to 8, while aarti lamps will be lit on April 9. The Hasi Karaga will be held on April 10 and the Hongalu Seve on April 11. The Karaga procession will be taken out on April 12 and the next day, the will be sermons and Gavu Shanti at the Dharmaraya Swami temple. On the concluding day on April 14, Vasanthotsava and flag hoisting will be held.

The temple authorities have already begun preparations for the Karaga festival and the streets around the temple have been illuminated. A sore point is the incomplete white-topping work, but the BBMP has assured to complete the remaining 20 pc work by Friday.