Draft:Nagaraj - Karaga Poojari
Bethamangala Muniswamy Nagaraj, also known as Karaga Poojari Nagaraj, is popular for being a Karaga Poojari in and around the districts of Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Rural Bengaluru. Nagaraj belongs to the Vahnikula Kshatriya community that is associated with the Karaga festival. Nagaraj has carried flower Karaga for over 1200 times in his lifetime in various cities, towns, and villages.
A Karaga is a flower pot considered a manifestation of goddess Draupadi. A Karaga is carried on head by a designated priest called as Karaga Poojari. The overall weight of a Karaga varies and in some places it is speculated to weigh around 70 kgs. A Karaga usually includes a pot filled with water and other undisclosed sacred ingredients. The pot is covered by attractively decorated jasmine flowers which weigh around 20 to 25 kgs. The average height of a Karaga is around 3.5 feet.
Nagaraj, at the age of 18, first carried Karaga in Vemagal in Kolar district in 1979. Nagaraj was 3rd in the generation of Karaga Poojaris after his grandfather Ellappa and father Muniswamy. Muniswamy carried Karaga till the age of 50 and he last carried Karaga in 1993 in Bethamangala. Nagaraj's sons, Krishnamurthy and Muniraju, now continue the tradition of carrying a Karaga.
Nagaraj's popularity rose because of his ability to dance, sway, and swing to the tunes of traditional musical drums and pipes while carrying a Karaga. His balancing acts attracted large crowds. Nagaraj carried Karaga for long periods and covered most streets of the towns/villages where the Karaga festival was celebrated. The longest duration Nagaraj carried a Karaga was in Bangarpet in 2012. The Karaga that year was carried by Nagaraj for a record 34 hours without placing it down.
Honours and Achievements
Nagaraj received the Karnataka state's second highest civilian award, the Rajosthsava award, in the year 2014. The award was presented by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddharamaiah. Nagaraj has also received numerous awards from various organizations for his distinguished contribution.
Some of the places where Nagaraj carried Karaga:
Karnataka
- Kolar (38 times)
- KGF (38 times)
- Bangarpet (37 times)
- Bethamangala
- Bengaluru (Vasanth Nagar, Mahalakshmi layout, Nagawara, Nelamangala, Hoskote, Hosa Road, KR Puram)
- Karahalli
- Rajakallahalli
- Chikkaballapura
- Hesarghatta
- Bagepalli
- Kamasamudra
- Melur
- Narsapuram
- Tekal
Tamil Nadu
- Hosur
- Bagalur
- Karnapalli
The legend of Karaga
Karaga is an annual festival celebrated mostly in the southern districts of Karnataka as well the adjoining districts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Karaga is associated with goddess Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas. According to some legends, after the Mahabharatha epic, the Pandavas along with Draupadi started towards Himalayas to spend the rest of their lives. During their journey, Draupadi who failed to match the speed of her husbands, lagged behind by a distance. At this point, Draupadi, known to be very beautiful, was approached a powerful rakshasa called Timirasura. Sensing Draupadi was alone with her husbands way ahead, Timirasura's advanced inappropriately towards Draupadi and this prompted Draupadi to produce soldiers using her divine powers. The soldiers, known as Veera Kumars, valiantly fought and killed Timirasura. After this incident, Draupadi tries to resume her journey towards the Himalayas only to be stopped by the Veera Kumaras. The Veera Kumaras considered Draupadi to be their mother for producing them and so plead her not to desert them. Draupadi obligated to be with her husbands promises the Veera Kumaras to descend to earth every year for 3 days and this event is celebrated as Karaga.