A few Ganesha Pandals, Navaratri Displays, and Street Art in Bengaluru: A Photo Tour

India is a land of unity in diversity. The country has endless languages, religions, cultures, and festivals. There is a saying: "Even though there are only 12 months, there are  13 festivals." In some places, even death is being celebrated, citing religious beliefs.

Bengaluru is a cosmopolitan city that transforms vividly with each festival. I took to the streets of Namma Bengaluru to document the cultural spectacle.  The picture below is of a Ganesha idol displayed on the street.

In front of the idol, we can see a kolam. Kolam is a beautiful traditional form of drawing done by women in Southern India. It is a daily ritual using coarse rice flour, intended as a quick morning meal for ants, birds, and small insects, philosophically showing compassion to other living beings. It also promotes wellness of the body through the stretching and bending movements involved in making it.

While walking down any residential street in Bengaluru, the ground beneath your feet turns into an open-air art gallery, especially during festivals. The above pavement art shows how tradition adapts to the modern urban landscape. During festivals, art starts right at the doorstep.

The above stone sculpture with folded hands welcomes you to the city. There are also various deities amidst small jungles where people worship and give kumkum and turmeric to visitors. The pictures below are of deities amidst small jungles, neatly kept and worshipped.

Large termite hills are also being worshipped occasionally. The picture below is of a large termite hill.

  

Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated in each nook and cranny of the cities in community pandals. The picture below shows a community pandal in Yeshwanthpura.

Local people gather and celebrate en masse. They bring prasadams and after blessings, serve them to people.

There will be various pandals across different crosses of the city, including large and small pandals. Thus, pandals made in front of individual houses by kids can also be seen.

 Most of these idols are set up on makeshift pandals and are eco-friendly. Gradually, there is a shift in idols also being made of clay making the festival eco-friendly.

When the crowd surges, Dhol Tasha drum troupes join in, playing peppy song beats that make the people dance together.

By October, Navaratri sets in. All nine days, ladies of the community join together and chant mantras together. There will be poojas at home, and Ayudha Pooja and poojas of all vehicles will be done. After pooja, vehicles will be adorned with flower garlands and will be run over a lemon, squeezing the lemon.

The picture below is of Durga Devi kept on a pandal for worship.

The city and crossroads will be illuminated with string lights, and crowds surge to temples and pandals. It is nice to watch the well-lit streets and outdoor decorations.

Then comes Diwali, wherein every household will be lit with diyas and pompous celebrations accompanied by bursting firecrackers and gobbling sweets. At that time, the city will also be well-lit with string lights.

By the end of December, Christmas will be celebrated. During that time, decorations will be more common in malls, where there will be huge Christmas trees.

Then, New Year celebrations start with fireworks globally, which are also held in Bengaluru. The next year, festivals also start, and life keeps moving alongside festivals.

Recently, when I was walking along the city, I could see life-size models of elephants made out of Lantana camara. Lantana camara is an invasive weed that restricts the growth of indigenous vegetation and has posed a serious threat to wildlife movement and biodiversity, leading to man-animal conflicts. Utilising this weed, we can make such beautiful artworks and escape from the hazardous effects of this weed.

Every day ends with dinner, where I could see spoons arranged in the shape of a butterfly, depicting the creativity of a caterer.

Disclaimer: The artworks shown above are not made by me, and I don't know who made them. Since I am an admirer of art, I took photos of them and pasted them here so that others can also enjoy watching them. I appreciate the great artists who are behind these artworks.