Bangalore: Walking along Bull Temple road in Basavanagudi, the air is filled with the rich smell of roasted groundnuts, freshly swirled cotton candy, a variety of spicy condiments, and crushed sugarcane.
Sounds of bells ringing, people laughing and chattering, and shouts of vendors selling their wares can be heard; and hordes of people are seen thronging food carts, stalls, and footpath vendors.
Not an inch of space is left unused as far as the eye can see, and it is apparent from the merriment that the city’s famous Kadalekai Parishe (Groundnut fair) has officially begun.
What started off as a small fair held once a year for groundnut traders to sell their yield to members of the public, has now transformed into a full-fledged carnival that is eagerly awaited by Bangaloreans and tourists in the city alike. The tradition of hosting the kadalekai parishe is said to be nearly 600 years old; and the two-day event usually commences on the last day of the month of Kartika.
Legend has it that the villagers who lived atop the hillock in Basavanagudi once upon a time were distressed by the presence of a bull, which used to charge into their groundnut fields every full moon day and destroy the crop, leaving nothing for them.
The villagers then prayed to Basava (Nandi), and promised to offer their first yield every year in exchange for their crop to be spared.
Subsequently, a Basava idol was found in the area, which was said to have expanded rapidly, until it was installed in a temple built on the hillock by Magadi Kempegowda in the year 1537.
Renowned ever since as the ‘Bull Temple’, farmers from places like Yeshwanthpura, Dasarahalli, Hosakerehalli, and Guttahalli flock to Basavanagudi every year to offer their annual harvest and take part in the parishe.
