Kadalekai Parishe

Kadalekai Parishe is an annual groundnut fair held around the Dodda Basavana Gudi, or Bull Temple, in Basavanagudi, Bengaluru. The celebration welcomes the first yield of the groundnut harvest and brings farmers, vendors, devotees and visitors together.

The streets around the Bull Temple, Dodda Ganesha Temple and Bugle Rock become a lively open-air market, with heaps of groundnuts alongside food stalls, toys, bangles and other fair goods.

• Last Monday of Karthika Masa — the main traditional day of Kadalekai Parishe.
• Fair period — traditionally extends around the main day, with the exact duration varying by local arrangements.

Gratitude for the harvest — Farmers bring the first groundnut yield as an offering to Basava, expressing gratitude and seeking blessings for a good harvest.

Protection of crops — Local tradition connects the fair with a legend about a bull that damaged groundnut fields and was associated with Nandi, the sacred bull of Shiva.

Kadalekai Parishe is associated with the old agricultural landscape around Basavanagudi, when groundnut cultivation was an important part of the surrounding villages. Local tradition says farmers prayed to Basava after a bull repeatedly damaged their crops and began offering the first harvest to the deity.

The tradition became centered on the Bull Temple, which Karnataka Tourism connects with Kempe Gowda and the 16th-century development of Basavanagudi. As Bengaluru expanded, the agricultural offering evolved into a large public fair while retaining its temple and harvest connections.

Farmers — Growers bring freshly harvested groundnuts and offer part of the first crop at the Bull Temple before selling their produce.

Worship — Special pooja and prayers are held at the temple, with Basava receiving the traditional harvest offering.

Public fair — Visitors browse large displays of groundnuts, buy produce directly from vendors and explore food, toys, bangles, crafts and other stalls.

Farmers and vendors arrive with freshly harvested groundnuts, while the Bull Temple becomes the religious focus of the celebration. The first crop is offered to Basava during temple worship. After the ritual, the surrounding streets fill with groundnut sellers and other temporary stalls, and visitors shop, eat and take part in the fair atmosphere.

Basavanagudi — The best-known celebration takes place around the Bull Temple, Dodda Ganesha Temple, Gandhi Bazaar and Bugle Rock area of Bengaluru.

Farming communities — Farmers from Karnataka and nearby parts of southern India contribute groundnuts to the fair, giving the market a broader agricultural character.

• Offering the first groundnut harvest to Basava
• Special pooja at the Bull Temple
• Selling freshly harvested groundnuts directly to visitors
• Buying different varieties of groundnuts
• Street-market shopping around Basavanagudi
• Visiting the Bull Temple and nearby shrines

Groundnuts — Represent the harvest and the agricultural foundation of the fair.

Basava / Nandi — The sacred bull associated with Shiva and the central deity of the Bull Temple.

Bull Temple — The principal religious setting around which the traditional fair is organized.

First harvest — Symbolizes gratitude and the offering of agricultural produce before it enters the marketplace.

• Kadalekai Parishe is also known as the Groundnut Fair.
• The name kadalekai refers to groundnut or peanut in Kannada.
• The fair is centered on the Dodda Basavana Gudi, commonly known as the Bull Temple.
• The celebration follows the Hindu calendar, so its Gregorian date changes from year to year.
• Large quantities of groundnuts are brought by farmers and sold directly in the streets around Basavanagudi.
• The fair combines an agricultural harvest tradition with temple worship and a public marketplace.