Kadlekai Parishe (groundnut fair) begins with much fanfare. Mounds of groundnuts have arrived on Bull Temple Road, and the footpaths and bylanes around the road resemble a village fair ahead of the Kadlekai Parishe on Monday.
On the eve of the fair, which is held on the last Monday of the month of Karthika in the Hindu almanac, a sea of humanity descended on Bull Temple Road. However, the late evening shower played a spoil sport as the downpour caused inconvenience to those walking on the almost choked road, while traffic went out of gear in the surrounding areas.
Vendors from Chikkaballapura, Kolar, Mandya and from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have brought fresh, roasted, jaggery-coated and boiled groundnuts — costing between Rs. 20 to Rs. 60 a measure (seru). Also available are puffed rice, sweets and savouries.
Kadlekai Parishe has a history of over 500 years and according to the legend a bull — believed to be an incarnation of Shiva’s vehicle Nandi — kept destroying the groundnut crop at Hosakerehalli, Gavipura, Guttahalli, Sunkenahalli and Mavalli. Farmers in the area offered their harvest to appease the bull and thus the fair started on the last Monday of the month of Karthika. In 1537, Magadi Kempegowda built the bull temple after which the road is named.
Today, as the city has grown, the fair has evolved too. Apart from groundnuts, consumer durables, toys, kitchen ware, rangoli products, kids wear and many more vie for attention of the visitors to the fair. The fair, which earlier was restricted to Bull Temple Road, is now spread across adjacent Bugle Rock Road, Mount Joy Road and Karanji Anjaneya Temple Street.
“Though this road chokes during Kadlekai Parishe. I make it a point to come here with my friends. It is the last few surviving traditions of Bangalore. We have been coming here for over two decades,” said Murali R., a resident of Thyagrajnagar.
The Rs. 10 hooter was among the most popular items that sold quickly with young and old alike blowing the hooter as they waded through the crowd, often attracting angry or irritated glance from others.
While the main fair is on Monday, a few vendors continue to have stalls for a few more days.
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