SSC
The festival of Kaveri Sankramana, when devotees gather at the source of the river Kaveri at Talakaveri, is celebrated in which state?
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Answer: Option A — Karnataka
Detailed Solution
Kaveri Sankramana (also called Tula Sankramana) is a festival celebrated at Talakaveri, the source of the river Kaveri, in the Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka. It is held every year in mid-October, on the day when the sun enters the zodiac sign of Libra (Tula).
Talakaveri is located on the Brahmagiri hills of the Western Ghats, at a height of about 1,270 metres. At the source of the river, there is a small tank (kundike), from which the Kaveri is believed to rise as a spring. On the day of Kaveri Sankramana, at a precise moment fixed by astrologers, the water in the tank suddenly rises or bubbles up, an event called "Teerthodbhava", which devotees believe marks the appearance of Goddess Kaveri. Thousands of devotees gather at Talakaveri to witness this moment and to take a holy dip in the tank. They collect the holy water and take it home, where it is kept and used for rituals throughout the year.
Goddess Kaveri is regarded as the family deity of the Kodava people, and Kaveri Sankramana is one of their most important festivals. On this day, Kodava women worship a coconut or a cucumber decorated with jewels and silk, representing the goddess, in their homes. The Kodava sari is traditionally worn with the pleats at the back, and according to legend this was in remembrance of the Kaveri, whose force pushed the pleats of the women's saris to the back when she rose.
The Kaveri flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and enters the Bay of Bengal. It is known as the "Dakshina Ganga" (Ganga of the South). Important dams on the river include the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) in Karnataka and the Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu. The river's waters have long been the subject of a dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The other main festivals of the Kodavas are Kailpodh (the worship of weapons) and Puthari (the harvest of new rice).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kerala celebrates Onam and Vishu.
- ✗Andhra Pradesh celebrates Pushkaralu at its rivers.
- ✗Goa celebrates Shigmo and the Zatras.
Quick tip
Remember: Kaveri Sankramana = Talakaveri in Kodagu (Karnataka), mid-October (Tula Sankramana), the Teerthodbhava and the Kodava community.
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.