Telangana’s floral festival Bathukamma started on Sunday with large numbers of women participating across the state. On Sunday, Telangana began its nine-day festival, which is the state’s official festival and is celebrated internationally. During the celebrations of Bathukamma that took place at Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan had the opportunity to meet with women from various walks of life.
As part of the celebrations held across the country, ministers, members of parliament, members of local assemblies, and other elected officials participated.
Dayakar Rao, the Minister of Panchayat Raj, participated in the celebrations along with hundreds of other girls from various residential schools in Warangal as part of the celebrations.
About Bathukamma
A Bathukamma is a Hindu goddess who is celebrated during Dussehra and is also known as the ‘Goddess of Life’. This ritual involves women decorating a special pot with seasonal flowers, filling the pot with offerings to the goddess, parading in a procession, and later immersing the pot in a local pond.
There will be a grand celebration of the state festival across the state of Telangana from September 21 to September 29. In order to celebrate Saddula Bathukamma, a major festival will be held on September 21, the day of the festival.
The festival lasts nine days, during which women and girls sing and dance around specially arranged flowers. Upon the end of the festival, the specially arranged flowers called Bathukamma are immersed in the local ponds to mark the end of the festival.
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Flowers are arranged to look like temple gopurams during the festival. There are seven concentric circles of medicinal and seasonal flowers in the flower stack. Flowers are thought to please the Goddess.
The festival celebrates women by wearing their finest attire and jewelry.
Women begin the festival by cleaning their courtyards. During the first five days of the festival, cow dung is used to prepare Bathukamma. A courtyard is decorated with five cone-shaped lumps that are placed there. The next day, men gather the colorful wildflowers,
On the ninth and last day, Bathukamma flower displays are immersed in the river. Married women apply a paste to their ‘Mangalsutra’ before immersion. Her husband and marriage are being protected by the Goddess.
In songs, women describe milestones in their lives, their relationships, joys, sorrows, etc.
The activities of Bathukamma during the 9 days
In the festival, the Goddess is offered a different offering, called a ‘Naivedyam’. These offerings are:
Day 1: On the first day (Engili Pula Bathukamma), sesame seeds and rice flour are mixed with coarsely ground wet rice.
Day 2: It is the second day (Atkula Bathukamma) when lentils are boiled, flattened and parboiled rice is boiled, and jaggery is added.
Day 3: On the third day (Mundapappu Bathukamma), milk, lentils, and jaggery are boiled.
Day 4: Wet rice, jaggery, milk, and jaggery are the ingredients needed for the fourth day (Nanabiyaam Bathukamma).
Day 5: The fifth day (Atla Bathukamma): Dosa or wheat pancakes are prepared for the fifth day.
Day 6: There will be no food offering on the sixth day (Aligina Bathukamma).
Day 7: The 7th day (Vepakayala Bathukamma) is an occasion in which deep-fried rice flour cakes in the shape of neem fruits are served
Day 8: There will be sesame seeds, jaggery, and butter/ghee on the eighth day of the fast (Vennamuddala Bathukamma).
Day 9: The ninth day (Saddula Bathukamma) consists of a variety of rice dishes, such as curd rice, tamarind rice, sesame rice, coconut rice, and lemon rice.
History: How Did the Bathukamma Festival Begin?
Bathukamma is one of the most important cultural festivals of Telangana, celebrated with great enthusiasm by women across the state. While the festival has been observed for centuries, it gained official recognition as the state festival after the formation of Telangana in 2014.
Each year, the festival is marked by vibrant floral arrangements, traditional songs, and community gatherings. On the occasion of Bathukamma celebrations, state leaders, including the Governor and Chief Minister, extend their greetings to the people of Telangana.
Bathukamma, which means “Mother Goddess, come alive,” is a unique festival that honors nature, womanhood, and the divine feminine. Celebrated during the season when a variety of native flowers bloom, it symbolizes gratitude for nature’s abundance, prosperity, and the well-being of families. The festival reflects Telangana’s rich cultural heritage and serves as a joyful celebration of life, unity, and tradition.
The Bathukamma – A Tribute to Native Culture
During the rainy season, Bathukamma’s idols are decorated with colorful seasonal wildflowers that have healing properties to cleanse the water body.
Families and daughters of the soil celebrate Bathukamma for nine days. As a tribute to their native Telangana culture, women offer prayers to the Goddess Gauri (Goddess Parvati) in the form of Bathukamma.
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