-News n visuals : Anand Kumar Barkur
Barkur, April 2026: The much-anticipated Sri Brahma Baidarkala Garadi Nemotsava 2026 was celebrated with great devotion and festive fervor at the Barkur Hosala shrine, drawing large numbers of devotees over several days of sacred rituals and colorful traditional performances.
The festivities commenced on April 17, 2026, with the offering of the Hasiru Hore Kanika — a ceremonial presentation of green sheaves, marking the auspicious beginning of the Nemotsava season.
On April 18, 2026, the day unfolded with a series of solemn rituals. A Gana Homa (sacred fire ritual) was performed at 8:00 AM, followed by special Naga Devaru Puja (serpent deity worship) at 10:00 AM. In the evening at 5:00 PM, the Durga Namaskara Puja was observed with reverence, and the night concluded with the Agalu Seve at 8:00 PM.
The celebrations reached a vibrant peak on April 19, 2026. The morning began with the Savira Hannina Vasantha (offering of a thousand fruits) at 9:30 AM. This was followed at 11:30 AM by the lively and colourful Kodangi Kunita — the traditional jester dance performed as part of the royal processional honour known as Hauda Rayana Olaga. At 12:30 PM, the sacred Sri Brahma Baidarkala Deva Seve and Sandarshana were held, accompanied by a grand Maha Annasantarpane — a community feast offered to all devotees. The evening and night witnessed the highlight of the festival: the Sri Brahma Baidarkala Nemotsava and the Shivaraya Kola, the ceremonial spirit-possession ritual, beginning at 7:00 PM.
The grand finale took place on April 21, 2026, with the spectacular Jodu Siri Singara Kola Seve — a twin, elaborately adorned ritual performance — honouring the revered Mula Mysandaya, Panjurli, Haiguli, Kalkudka, and Kalamma daivas (spirit deities). The Kola rituals, deeply rooted in the Tulu Nadu tradition of Bhuta Kola, were performed with full ceremonial grandeur, evoking a powerful and spiritually charged atmosphere.
The Nemotsava was a profound expression of the region's ancient coastal Karnataka heritage, bringing together communities in a spirit of devotion, culture, and collective celebration.
