Kadlekai Parishe is a unique festival of Bangalore that celebrates the Kadlekai that the speaking population knows as Groundnuts or Peanuts. We Hindi speakers call it Moongfali. It is a basic nut that is used extensively in Indian cooking both as a nut and for its oil. It is rich in protein, and fiber and is a known anti-oxidant.
Culturally, we hear peanuts when we get paid less than expected. But here is the celebration of the very nut. It is the celebration of local food with all its diversity.
Roasted groundnuts are my favorite childhood and youth memory. On cold winter evenings, sit in a Rajai or quilt with a basket full of roasted peanuts while watching television.
During my travels, I have found them across India. In UP they sell it with masala salt. In Punjab, we eat with jaggery to ensure that the throat does not go too dry. Called Shenga in Maharashtra, the peanut chikki of Lonavala is unforgettable. Eastern parts of India call it Baadam. It is an essential part of cuisine across India.
History of Kadlekai Parishe, Bengaluru
Long before the birth of the metropolis of Bangalore, the area around what is Basavanagudi today was full of villages. Groundnuts were the staple crop that was grown in villages like Mavalli, Gavipuram, Guttahalli, Sunkenahalli, and Dasarahalli. Sunkenahalli was probably the village where it all started.
Once upon a time, a raging bull started destroying all the ready-to-harvest groundnut crops. It especially happened on the full moon nights. So, to pacify him, farmers started offering the first harvest to the bull and prayed to him. They sought his blessings for a good crop.
Around the same time, a large monolithic stone Murti of Basava or Nandi bull in crouching posture was found in the same area in 1537 CE. It is one of the biggest Basava Murtis like the one at Chamundi Hills in Mysore or Lepakshi Temple in Andhra Pradesh.
Remember, the 16th CE was the time of Kempegowda in Bangalore. He had the temple built around the Basava Murti on top of a hill. Yes, this place was a hillock then. This is the famous Bull temple of Basavanagudi. Yes, the area gets its name from the temple. The farmers continue to follow the age-old tradition of offering the groundnut crop at the temple.
An inscription at the base of the Bull tells us that this was the origin of the Vrishbhavati river that merges into Arkavati a little north of this area.
Other Versions
A slightly different version of this story says that the bull itself transformed into a stone bull. Legend is that it started growing taller rapidly, till a nail was used to stop it from growing. One can see the nail in the shape of a trident or Trishul on top of the bull.
Yet another legend says that after the Kadlekai Parishe is over, the bull comes out and consumes all the peals left behind. I assume the piles are too much for a single bull to clean now.
At the Renuka Yellama temple close by, I saw the Shringar of the Devi done with peanuts. She looked beautiful as I stood and admired the creativity of culture that brings together diverse elements so wonderfully.
Farmers Market
Farmers from different parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh come here with heaps of groundnuts. They offer them at the Bull Temple and Dodda Ganesh Temple. Then, they sell them right outside the temple. Some popular varieties come from Salem, Badami, Chikballapur, Tulmkuru, Dharamapuri, Yeshwantpur, etc.
You can see groundnuts of different colors and sizes. Buy them raw – how South India prefers to consume them. You get the boiled variety on carts. They sell it with cut onions and coriander leaves with a dash of lemon. Choose your chutney to go with.
As a North Indian, my favorite is roasted groundnuts. Thankfully, there were many vendors, who were not just selling roasted groundnuts, but some were also roasting it on fire right there.
Take your pick at prices that are way cheaper than retail outlets as you are buying directly from the farmers.
When is Kadlekai Parishe Celebrated?
Kadlekai Parishe happens on the last Monday of the month of Kartik. It would roughly fall 3-4 weeks after Diwali or in the Gregorian months of November or December.
Given the popularity of the festival, now it is a five-day festival. It starts on the weekend before the last Monday of Kartik and lasts till Wednesday.
Where is the Kadlekai Parishe Celebrated?
The biggest celebration happens in and around the streets of Basavanagudi or Bull Temple. The road from Ramakrishna Mutt to Bull Temple is the primary road but streets leading to this stretch also participate.
The streets are closed to traffic and made pedestrian.
In the last few years, Kadumalleswaram temple in Malleswaram has also started celebrating the festival. It usually happens a week before the Basavanagudi fair.
What To See?
Besides the Dodda Ganesh Temple and Bull Temple which are lit up with lamps, you can visit the Renuka Yellama temple. All of them are decorated with groundnuts.
There is a fair with rides inside the Bull Temple premises for children to enjoy.
Bella Kala or the Jaggery Sculptures
Just outside the Dodda Ganesh temple entrance, a lovely sculpture created using Jaggery or Bella in Kannada and Gud in Hindi mesmerized the crowds.
Two large chunks of Gud were used to carve the images of Shiva and Parvati. In front of them was an image of Nandi on the floor made like a Rangoli using the Jaggery powder. The three images were surrounded by creatively arranged piles of jaggery in different colors. This display showcases the diversity of jaggery. I could see shades of white, orange, red, dark brown, almost black-colored jaggery here.
Of course, you can buy the one you like right next to this display.
Go Shopping
There are streets full of vendors selling all kinds of things. Some of the things you should not miss are:
- Coconuts with fruit inside
- Seasonal Fruits and Fresh Sugarcane juice
- Chaats
- Traditional Mela games like Shooting balloons or throwing the ring
- Goli Soda
- Candy floss
- Freshly fried chips
- Household goods
- Bags
- Garments
- Toys
- Trinkets, Cosmetics and Jewellery
You can see a complete shop in an inverted umbrella.
It is wonderful to see the IT capital of the world celebrating the 600-year-old festival that celebrates the bio-diversity of local crops like groundnuts and jaggery or sugarcane.
Travel Tips
Crowds swell in the evenings and on weekends. So, if possible, try to visit on Weekday mornings.
Well-lit-up evenings add to the ambiance of the fair.
There is ample deployment to take care of any chaos and casualties.
Carry your bags for groundnuts as vendors give them in soft paper bags only. It isn’t easy to carry them back home as they go soft. The same goes for most other vendors too.
Depending on your interest, you can easily spend 2-4 hours at the fair.
