Over five lakh join Belagavi's Rajyotsava procession as city turns red and yellow
More than 150 tableaux on Karnataka's history and culture wound through the border city, with about 3,000 police personnel on duty from Saturday night to Sunday midnight.
More than five lakh people turned out for Belagavi's Kannada Rajyotsava procession on Sunday, filling the centre of the border city with red-and-yellow flags, music and dancing that went on until midnight.
Celebrations began at midnight on Saturday at Rani Channamma Circle with a presentation of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari, fireworks and lights, joined by Mayor Preeti Kamkar, corporators and Kannada activists. The main procession set off on Sunday morning after District In-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi hoisted the flag.
More than 150 tableaux depicted figures and landmarks from Karnataka's history, including Immadi Pulakeshi, Krishnadevaraya, Mayuravarma, Rani Channamma and Rani Abbakka, along with replicas of the Hampi stone chariot and Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.
The crowds brought brisk business for shops selling flags, scarves and Kannada T-shirts, but also heavy traffic, with queues stretching from the SP's office towards the Srinagar highway underpass. About 3,000 police personnel, led by City Police Commissioner Prakash Nikam, were deployed, and residents praised them for keeping the event free of major incidents.
Source: Deccan Herald. Photo: Djsourabh.bwd / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
