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2.1.2.5. Cultural Heritage

Religious Practices and Festivals: Anegundi houses numerous temples, shrines and sacred

buildings dedicated to various deities, exhibiting the patronage of Vijayanagara rulers. The

towns cultural practices revolve around daily rituals at different religious buildings, worship
ceremonies, and pilgrimage activities by numerous tourists.

Numerous religious processions take place throughout the year during the festivals such as

Ugadi, Shivaratri, Ram Navami is one of the dedicatedly celebrated festival. This is when the
Thesis Report V-SPARC VIT
communities come together to perform various tasks voluntarily such as food preparation,

chariot processions, offerings, and other activities [Fig. 26]

Anegundi Utsav: It is celebrated annually to celebrate the village. It is a platform to showcase,

promote and preserve the traditional arts, crafts, music, dance and cuisine. Various events,
performances and exhibitions are located at various nodes of the village. The festival conducts

diverse cultural performances such as the folk music and dance [Fig.27]. Storytelling sessions
play a major role in transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next [Fig. 27]

Various artists from neighboring villages also take part in the events, thus, encouraging cross

culture exchanges. Anegundi Utsav often includes workshops, demonstrations, and interactive
sessions aimed at promoting traditional skills and knowledge. Visitors have the opportunity to

learn about traditional crafts, cooking techniques, agricultural practices, and cultural rituals
from experts and practitioners [Fig. 28].

Handicrafts and Arts: The festivals provide a platform for local artisans and craftsmen to

exhibit their craftsmanship and knowledge to the public, inviting more people to inculcate those

skills with pride. Tourists are presented with the experiences and skills of making these
handicrafts of basketry, weaving, pottery, painting and others [Fig.29]. Thus, spreading the

cultural practices of Anegundi to the world.

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