Bengaluru: The city’s Basavangudi area is bustling with people as the city opened its annual groundnut fair, ‘Kadlekai Parishe’ on a grand note. The festival is celebrated every year at this site where farmers come to sell off freshly produced groundnuts and buyers enjoy the ambiance as they relish roasted nuts while witnessing a lively market.
As per a report in Hindustan Times, the organisers this year decided to go plastic-free. Moreover, the government also decided that sellers would not have to pay any fee to contractors to sell their stock. This made it more special this year and a number of farmers from across Karnataka have joined the occasion It is held annually on the last Monday of the Karthika Masa.
What is Kadlekai Parishe and Why is it Celebrated?
The occasion is observed every year on the streets opposite the iconic Bull Temple in Basavanagudi, the HT report added. Bengaluru's ground festival makes the region vibrant as farmers, not only from Karnataka, but neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh also come to sell the freshly harvested groundnuts.
The fair is oragnised for a day but the farmers extend it till they sell the entire stock, the report added
The story of the festival is also an interesting one. It goes back to centuries ago when farmers would face severe losses when a bull destroyed their groundnut crops. To prevent this in the future, Bengaluru's founder Kempegowda built the grand Basava (Nandi) Temple in Basavanagudi, the report further said.
As a mark of respect, farmers since then began offering the first harvest at this temple and the tradition continues to this day.