KARNATAKA FESTIVALS
KANAKADASA JAYANTHI
Kanakadasa Jayanthi is a festival cerebrated by people of Karnataka in general and Kuruba Gowda community in particular. It is celebrated every year on the birth anniversary of the great poet and saint shri Kanaka Dasa. In tribute to the great saint, the government of Karnataka has declared November 20 as a state holiday.
YUGADI
Yugadi,is the New Year's Day for the people of the Deccan region of India. The name Yugadi or Ugadi is derived from the Sanskrit words yuga (age) and adi (beginning): "the beginning of a new age". It falls on a different day every year because the Hindu calendar is a lunisolar calendar.
MADIKERI DASARA
Madikeri Dasara (Kannada) is the Dasara festival is celebrated in the city of Madikeri in the Indian State of Karnataka. It has a history of over a hundred years. Madikeri Dasara is a ten-day celebration, which is beautified by 4 Karagas and 10 Mantapas depicting killing of Asuras (demons) by Suras (God/Goddess). Preparation for Madikeri dasara starts before 3 months.
KARAGA
The karaga itself is a mud pot, on which stands a tall floral pyramid that is balanced on the carrier's head. The contents of the pot have remained a secret down the centuries. The carrier's arrival is heralded by hundreds of bare-chested, dhoti-clad, turbaned Veerakumaras bearing unsheathed swords.
DAKKE BALI
Dakke bali is a form of snake worship, called as Nagaradhane, held at Padubidri in Udupi district, Karnataka. The festival is held once every two years. It is held in those years when the Paryaya festival at nearby Udupi does not occur.Dakke bali, along with Bhuta Kola is one of the ritual dance forms practiced in Tulunadu. Together with Yakshagana, this region boasts of a variety of folk dance forms